Maj Gen Chowdhury Hasan Sorwardi, GOC 9th Division, on Wednesday refuted the news published in the British tabloid Sunday Mirror over the rescue of apparel worker Reshma by the army after 17 days of the Rana Plaza building collapse, terming it a blatant lie.“The motive of those behind releasing the news over the recovery of Reshma was aimed at hurting Bangladesh army, undermining its image and breaking its chain of command,” he said at a press conference at the PID conference room this evening.
“Don’t play foul with the army, it will boomerang as the army is the embodiment of the confidence of 16 crore people,” the GOC said, alleging that a conspiracy has begun to create debate over the army’s place of trust in the minds of people.
The news published in the Sunday Mirror was a translated version of an online report of a local vernacular daily, he said, without naming the daily.
Referring to the designated reporter of Mirror Simon Wright, Gen Sorwardi said he (Wright) had arrived in Dhaka as a visitor after the Rana Plaza disaster and someone had helped him come to Bangladesh.
The GOC urged the government to initiate a libel suit against the Sunday Mirror and its reporter, Simon Wright, and claim compensation for their acts of defamation.
He also called upon the government to find out the persons who had helped the Mirror reporter to come to Dhaka and bring them to justice.
Earlier, the Enam Medical College Hospital authorities at Savar, who had provided treatment to the victims of Rana Plaza disaster, said that it was not true that Reshma had left the hospital after getting treatment for two days as mentioned in the report published by the Sunday Mirror.
Zahidur Rahman, director (Public Relations) of Enam Medical College Hospital at a separate press conference at the National Press Club this (Wednesday) afternoon, said they had provided treatment to about 1700 wounded people.
Of them, information of 700 people is on the hospital record, but the name of Reshma was not there, he said.
Mansur Ahmed Nuru, owner of Reshma’s rented house, and his wife Hajera, who were present at the press conference, said Reshma had gone to the factory in the morning and contacted Hajera over mobile phone a few minutes before the building collapsed.
Both Nuru and Hajera said they later came to know that Reshma had been rescued after 17 days of the building collapse.
Enamul, a co-worker of Reshma, also denied the Sunday Mirror report, saying he did not give any interview to any foreign journalist of Sunday Mirror. – UNB
