13 indicted for Tazreen FASHIONS?fire
A Dhaka court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants against six people for the fire at Tazreen Fashions in Savar last year, after accepting charges against 13 people, including the owner of the company, Delwar Hossain. As many as 111 workers, most of them women, were killed in the blaze in the readymade garments factory at Nishchintapur of Ashulia in Savar on the outskirts of the capital on the evening of November 24, 2012.
Earlier, on December 22, CID inspector AKM Mohsinuzzaman Khan, the investigating officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge-sheet in the court of chief judicial magistrate Washim Sheikh against the 13 people.
After scrutinising the documents of the case, the senior judicial magistrate accepted the charges against 13 accused.
The court issued warrants of arrest against Delwar, his wife and also Tazreen chairperson Mahmuda Akter, and four others who were shown as fugitives in the charge-sheet.
It also asked the officer-in-charge (OC) of Ashulia police station to submit a compliance report before it by February 14 next year.
Those who faced arrest warrants there are: factory managing director Delwar Hossain, Tazreen Fashions Ltd chairperson Mahmuda Akter, factory manager Abdur Razzak, quality manager Shahiduzzaman Dulal, production manager Mobarak Hossain, manager (administration) Md Dulal Uddin, engineer Mahbubul Morshed, two in-charges of stores Hamidul Islam and Md Al Amin, two in-charges of security Md Al Amin and Anisur Rahman, security guard Md Rana alias Anwarul and loader Shamim Mia.
The four other absconding accused are: factory manager Abdur Razzak, quality manager Shahiduzzaman Dulal, production manager Mobarak Hossain Monju and engineer Mahbubul Morshed.
According to the charge-sheet, the 13 accused dismissed the fire alarm as a safety drill and did not allow the workers to leave the factory.
After submitting the charge-sheet before the court on December 22, investigation officer AKM Mohsinuzzaman Khan said the accused could face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment or a minimum seven years in jail, if they are convicted.
At least 111 workers were killed and more than 200 suffered burns when a devastating fire swept through Tazreen Fashions’ Ashulia factory on November 24last year.
Ashulia police station sub-inspector Khairul Islam filed a case the next day, charging unidentified persons.
The charge of death due to negligence (under Article 304a) was included in the case later along with that of sabotage by arson.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over the investigation of the case onJanuary 2. Workers of the gutted factory said the exit points were locked and that they were not allowed to escape to safety when the fire broke out.
Evidence has also been found which shows that the building code for the factory was not maintained. The victims and their families are upset because prime accused Delwar has been not arrested though over a year has passed since the fire occurred.
Later, the High Court intervened and asked the authorities to pay compensation to the families of the Tazreen fire victims.
-With The Independent input
