‘How long will we starve? Give us food’: People demand relief in Sarail upazila

Residents of Sarail upazila in Brahmanbaria staged a protest on Tuesday demanding relief material from the government.

People from Syedtula village, led by Md Yunus Miah alias Inu, president of Sarail upazila Sramik League, staged a procession with a banner saying "How long will we starve? Give us food" at 10 am on Tuesday.

They then took position in front of the upazila parishad office till 12 noon and chanted slogans demanding relief material.

The protesters claimed that ward No 6 of Syedtula village has not got any relief from the government. As a result, many of them are starving and are living in inhuman conditions.

Sramik League leader Md Yunus Miah told The Business Standard: "Many residents of ward 6 of Syedtula village have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus. There was no government relief given out in our ward which has many poor people and workers who have lost their jobs. All of us don't have work. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent something to us, but that did not reach our area. That is why we protested. We left after the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) assured us of getting relief."

However, Sarail UNO Abu Saleh Musa said, "There was no protest for relief. They have heard that the government has allocated three thousand taka and one sack of rice per head. But they were told that they are not getting it. Inu spread these rumors and gathered the people."