Child born in toilet: 3 factory officials summoned

A day after a woman gave birth to a baby in a toilet of a factory as she was not granted leave, the High Court today summoned three officials of a footwear factory in Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur asking them to appear before it on May 24.

The baby was declared dead when the newborn was taken to a local hospital.

Following today’s HC order, managing director Syed Nasim Manzur, inspector Azizur Rahman and supervisor Ratan Miah of Apex Footwear Factory will have to appear before the court around 10:30am on that day to explain their role in the incident.

The HC bench of Justice, Quazi-Reza-Ul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman directed the upazila nirbahi officer of Kaliakoir upazila to investigate the incident and submit a report by before it on the day (May 24).

Deputy Attorney General Tapos Kumar Biswas told The Daily Star that the HC bench issued the order as a suo moto move following a report published in the daily Prothom Alo today.

According to the report, garments worker Hamida Akhter yesterday applied to the factory authorities for her maternity leave but the authorities did not approve it.

After few hours, Hamida gave birth to a child in the toilet of the factory.