Petition seeks Tk 1 crore compensation for death of small-screen actor Asha Chowdhury

A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directives on the authorities concerned to give Tk 1 crore as compensation to the family of small-screen actor Asha Chowdhury who died in a road accident in Dhaka on January 5 this year.

Asha's mother Parvin Akter submitted the petition to the HC today praying to it to form a committee to assess the loss for her death.

In the petition, she also requested the HC to issue a rule asking the respondents to show cause as to why inaction to form a committee to find those responsible for Asha's death, to assess the loss due to her death and to give compensation to her family, should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to the road, transport and bridges ministry, department of roads and highways, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, mayor and chief executive officer of Dhaka North City Corporation, commissioner and additional deputy commissioner (traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, deputy commissioner of Dhaka and officer in charge of Darussalam police station have been made respondents to the required rule, Parvin's lawyer Anichur Rahman told The Daily Star.

He said Parvin Akter in her petition sought Tk 1 crore as compensation for the death of her daughter as Asha was the only earning member of her family and was only 22-years-old and a college student.

Small screen actor Asha Chowdhury died after she was hit by a speeding lorry from behind while travelling on a motorcycle at Darussalam area, lawyer Anichur Rahman added.

She was reported to be an actor enlisted in Bangladesh Television and also a third-year student of the department of physiotherapy at the State College of Health Sciences.

The HC is yet to fix a date for hearing the petition.