Monorom Polok

is a member of the editorial team at The Daily Star.

Custodial torture remains business as usual

According to a recent Odhikar report, 40 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14 months since the interim government took office in August 2024.

3w ago

‘Factory owners’ fear of labour unions stems from their loss of control’

Before I offer my perspective, it is important to first clarify where responsibility lies. The factory owners themselves are entirely responsible for the situation they now call harmful to the industry. For all the things involved, there is no one else to blame—not the workers, not the labour leaders, not the government, not any international organisation.

1m ago

‘Road deaths cannot be reduced without BRTA reform’

Dr Md Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), talks to Monorom Polok of The Daily Star about the role of systemic failures and corruption behind the alarming rate of traffic fatalities in Bangladesh, and the critical structural reforms required to curb it.

2m ago

The pain we don’t see

In Bangla, terms related to mental illness are often reduced to one crude word: pagol (a mad person).

2m ago

Dhaka is not for old people, but it is their city too

We have built a society where many elderly people are entirely dependent on others to go out.

3m ago

When will there be justice for enforced disappearances?

The interim government should have made some headway by now.

4m ago

'There is no reason not to accept OHCHR assistance'

OHCHR alone cannot prevent atrocities anywhere when there is systematic denial by the concerned state or any authority of its duties, and a failure of the international community to act.

5m ago

‘Those responsible for custodial torture and death are rarely punished’

Nur Khan Liton, a human rights activist, discusses his experience of dealing with cases of custodial torture and deaths in an exclusive interview with Monorom Polok of The Daily Star.

6m ago
December 15, 2025
December 15, 2025

Custodial torture remains business as usual

According to a recent Odhikar report, 40 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14 months since the interim government took office in August 2024.

November 19, 2025
November 19, 2025

‘Factory owners’ fear of labour unions stems from their loss of control’

Before I offer my perspective, it is important to first clarify where responsibility lies. The factory owners themselves are entirely responsible for the situation they now call harmful to the industry. For all the things involved, there is no one else to blame—not the workers, not the labour leaders, not the government, not any international organisation.

October 22, 2025
October 22, 2025

‘Road deaths cannot be reduced without BRTA reform’

Dr Md Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), talks to Monorom Polok of The Daily Star about the role of systemic failures and corruption behind the alarming rate of traffic fatalities in Bangladesh, and the critical structural reforms required to curb it.

October 10, 2025
October 10, 2025

The pain we don’t see

In Bangla, terms related to mental illness are often reduced to one crude word: pagol (a mad person).

October 1, 2025
October 1, 2025

Dhaka is not for old people, but it is their city too

We have built a society where many elderly people are entirely dependent on others to go out.

August 30, 2025
August 30, 2025

When will there be justice for enforced disappearances?

The interim government should have made some headway by now.

August 3, 2025
August 3, 2025

'There is no reason not to accept OHCHR assistance'

OHCHR alone cannot prevent atrocities anywhere when there is systematic denial by the concerned state or any authority of its duties, and a failure of the international community to act.

June 27, 2025
June 27, 2025

‘Those responsible for custodial torture and death are rarely punished’

Nur Khan Liton, a human rights activist, discusses his experience of dealing with cases of custodial torture and deaths in an exclusive interview with Monorom Polok of The Daily Star.

May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025

‘Labour reforms must ensure a dignified life for workers’

Writer-researcher Altaf Parvez discusses the recommendations made by the Labour Reform Commission to improve the state of workers in the country, in a conversation with Monorom Polok of The Daily Star.

April 6, 2025
April 6, 2025

An unfinished struggle: Democracy, identity and reform

The interview explores the evolving narrative of democracy in Bangladesh since 1971.