Family members and colleagues of deceased postman Md Hanif (inset), observe a token hunger strike in front of Patuakhali Press Club yesterday demanding payment of all official dues to the deceased and regularisation of job of a few of his colleagues. Photo: STAR

Family members and colleagues of deceased postmaster Hanif observed hunger strike in front of Patuakhali Press Club yesterday demanding remedy to the injustice done to him and several other postmen.
Hanif, who went to file a writ petition with the High Court (HC) for job regularisation as per an earlier order of the HC, died of a cardiac arrest in Dhaka on Friday.
At the hunger strike that started at about 11:00am yesterday, Hanif's wife Beauty Begum, their three children and Hanif's colleagues took part.
Informed, Deputy Postmaster General Shahidul Islam, district postmaster Shahkhawat Hossain and Organising secretary of district unit of Awami League Kazi Alamgir Hossain rushed to the spot.
Assuring that all dues of Hanif will be paid and job of 18 postmen will be regularised, they persuaded the protesters to break the hunger strike.
Md Hanif of Amkhola village under Galachipa upazila in the district was serving as postman in Dashmina upazila post office since 2004.
Patuakhali district post office authority appointed six postmen including Hanif in 2004 but as their job was not regularised after two years, they have remained deprived of salaries for four years, sources said.
In 2009, they filed a writ petition with the HC and the HC on July 21 this year issued an order to regularise their job and pay all their dues. But the HC order was not carried out.
Hanif and others on November 4 went to the HC to file additional petition in this regard but Hanif had a heart attack there. He died at Dhaka Medical College hospital the following day.
When contacted, Deputy Postmaster General Shahidul Islam said, "I ordered the district postmaster on October 26 to pay all dues to all 6 postmen as per directives issued by the HC."
But Postmaster Shakhawat Hossain said, "I could not pay their dues as Postmaster General Syed Ahmed during his recent visit in Patuakhali on October 26 orally directed me not to pay their dues."