One of the demonstrators who led the protest against WASA managing director has allegedly been threatened.
Mizanur Rahaman, who led a group of protesters to make the water supplier company’s MD take a “juice” made out of the “drinkable” water, claims that WASA’s Deputy Assistant Engineer Syed Nawaz Ali threatened him on Wednesday (Apr 24).
“After our demonstration on Tuesday (Apr 24), Syed Nawaz Ali went to my in-laws’ house today [Wednesday] and threatened us,” he told Bangla Tribune.
He added that Nawaz Ali slandered his in-laws in addition to threatening him.
Expressing surprise at the WASA employee’s actions, Mizanur said, “He could’ve spoken to me once before going to my in-laws.”
He even posted a status on Facebook regarding the matter, saying that Nawaz was acting on the order of his boss and accused them of staging a farce.
Syed Nawaz Ali has not been available for comments as he didn’t answer his phone.
On Tuesday (Apr 24) a group of protesters from Old Dhaka’s Jurain went to the WASA premises in order to make MD Taqsem A Khan drink the water that he claimed was “100 percent drinkable.”
They stood outside the premises with the drink until they were let in and spoke to Wasa Director AKM Shahid Uddin due to the MD’s absence.
Khan recently came under a lot of criticism for his claims that dismissed a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report that said that over Tk 3 billion worth of cooking gas is used to boil the water supplied by WASA.
The report, in addition to pointing out irregularities and graft also said that 91 percent of Dhaka residents have to boil their water.