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When Ansar heard about the compensation, he gave the industry association photographs of his wife and daughter, their employee IDs and copies of their national identity cards. His son gave a blood sample for a DNA test days after the fire, but he has heard nothing. "We went there; we met the BGMEA officials. They have asked us to wait. They don't make anything clear. They asked us to stay at home, not to go there," he said. He has their phone numbers, but they don't answer when he calls, he said. "I went there three times, but returned without anything," he said. "How long should we wait?" "These families are very poor," said Mahmudul Sumon, an anthropologist from Jahangir Nagar University who is studying the fate of the victims' families. "They have lost their dear ones. Now they are suffering a lot, as many of the families have lost someone who was the main earner in the family." Ruhul Hannan, who said his 35-year-old wife was killed in the blaze, sent his 18-year-old son for a DNA test, but so far he has received nothing, despite his pleas to the garment trade group. ''I am just waiting. They told me to wait until end of this month for the test result," he said. Activists criticized the government, the garment industry and the factory for keeping important information secret, including the names of the victims of the fire and who has received compensation. ''Who died, who got compensated, who not? We don't have any clear idea," said Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. "There should not be any plot to play hide-and-seek." She said the major Western brands that produced clothing in the factory have a responsibility to come to Bangladesh to check on the compensation situation. She also raised concerns about the DNA testing process. ''We don't know why it's taking too much time. If time is required, fine, but there should be proper reasons ... that should be explained," she said. Ahedul, a mechanic who lost his wife in the fire but could not identify her body, said he has no idea what is happening with his claim. ''I have been asked to stay calm by the BGMEA," said Ahedul, who uses only one name.
''They told me they will come to me. I don't need to go to them."
[Associated
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