Stampede for Jakat clothes kills 2 women

Two women were killed and 10 others injured in a stampede by an overwhelming crowd of distressed people for receiving Jakat clothes distributed by a private organisation in Manikganj town ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. The tragic incident took place around 3:30am when a large crowd of people, numbering 8,000-10,000, most of whom were women, gathered on the Girls School Road in the district headquarters. The dead are Jamila Begum, 45, wife of Ayen Uddin of Baroil village in Sadar upazila, and Saleha Begum, 60, wife of Abdus Salam of Purba Dasura of Manikganj town. Locals said a business conglomerate earlier announced to distribute Jakat clothes among poor people after Sehri in the house of Syed Mahbub Morshed Runu, an adviser of the chairman of the group early Thursday. As they moved to enter the house after its main gate was opened, a sudden rush for jakat clothes was created and falling under the crowd, 12 women, including Jamila and Saleha, were injured. The injured were rushed to Sadar Hospital where doctors declared Jamila and Saleha dead, according to UNB.