Submit report on actions against those responsible in 60 days, HC to govt

The High Court today directed the government to submit within 60 days its committee’s report on the travel agency and the human traffickers responsible for the death of 37 Bangladeshis in the Mediterranean Sea in May.

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Emdadul Huq.

The Bangladeshi nationals, most of whom were from Sylhet and Noakhali, reportedly died after their boat capsized in the sea -- on the way to Italy from Libya -- on May 9.

During hearing on the petition Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah-Al-Mahmud Bashar informed the court that the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry has formed a high powered inter-ministerial committee lead by an additional secretary to probe the incident.

The ministry has also sent a letter to the home ministry for identifying and taking drastic actions against the travel agencies and human traffickers responsible for sending Bangladeshis to abroad illegally and for the death of 37 of them, deputy attorney general said.

DAG Bashar also placed a reports from the superintendent of police of Noakhali saying that the police are trying to identify the three alleged syndicates responsible behind this incident and arrest them.

Emdadul Haque filed the writ petition on June 16 seeking a directive on the government to take action against the travel agencies and human traffickers responsible for the death of 37 Bangladeshis in the Mediterranean Sea.

The HC on June 24 during hearing the petition wanted to know the actions taken against travel agencies and human traffickers responsible.

The court also kept the petition stand-over (pending for hearing) for a week. It set today for further hearing.

It asked the DAG to provide the information after consulting with the authorities concerned of the government within seven days.