Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of over a dozen labour rights bodies, has demanded exemplary punishment to those responsible for the Banshkhali incident in which five workers of a coal-fired power plant were killed.

The federation also demanded judicial investigation into the incident, providing proper compensations for the victims and ending harassment of workers.

The demands came from a virtual meeting of SKOP held with its joint coordinator Shahidullah Chowdhury on Monday afternoon.

SKOP also announced new programmes to press home their demands, said a press release on Tuesday.

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SKOP leaders Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Anwar Hossain, Razekuzzaman Ratan, Kamrul Ahsan, Chowdhury Ashikul Alam, Naimul Ahsan Jewel, Shakil Akter Chowdhury, Ripon Chowdhury, Shamim Ara, Ahsan Habib Bulbul, Abul Kalam Azad and Firoz Hossain, among others, spoke at the meeting.

They said five workers were killed and over 50 others injured in a sudden and indiscriminate firing on agitating workers of the coal-fired power plant of S Alam Group who were demonstrating to press home their 10-point demand including payment of arrears and reducing the daily work hours to 8 during Ramadan.

They demanded identifying those responsible and bringing them to book through investigation.

They said it is essential to mete out exemplary punishment to everyone who is responsible for this killing in order to change the irresponsible and arrogant mindset developed among the government’s employees towards the working people who are real owners of the country.

They said the district administration announced to provide nominal compensation and the superintendent of police blamed the workers.

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Terming the incident a cold-blooded killing, the SKOP leaders said the case was filed accusing the workers and villagers but those who opened fire were not arrested.

SKOP will continue its programmes including demonstrations and rallies to ensure punishment to those responsible through a fair investigation. It will also place a memorandum before the Home Minister in this regard.

SKOP will stage a demonstration in front of the Jatiya Press Club at 11am on Wednesday (April 21) to press home its demands over the Banshkhali incident.

Besides, the federation of labour rights bodies decided to observe April 24 as the garment worker mourning day on Saturday next on a small scale maintaining health hygiene rules amid the Covid-19 lockdown in a bid to mark the eighth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy.

Moreover, SKOP has taken programmes to observe the International Workers’ Day on May 1 next.