The High Court on Monday directed the police to arrange collection of DNA samples from members of families who claim that at least one of their relatives died in the Tazreen Fashion fire but their bodies have so far not been identified. The names of 24 workers, not included in the official list of 111 workers confirmed dead in the Tazreen Fashions fire in November 2012, had been supplied to the High Court by anthropologists who had earlier petitioned the court to take action against government authorities for their failure to prosecute Tazreen Fashions owner Delwar Hossain.
A bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain also directed the Health Directorate’s director-general to shift within 72 hours Tazreen fire victim Sumaya to Dhaka Medical College Hospital who is currently a patient at United Hospital in the capital.
The court set October 3 for compliance report on DNA test and October 1 for the report regarding transferring Sumaya.
Different newspapers reported that Sumaya suffered from cancer, possibly from exposure to fumes at the factory, and was undergoing treatment with the money collected by three anthropologists and their friends.
In May, the bench started considering the public interest litigation writ petition regarding prosecution of Tazreen owner and adequate compensation to victims.
The bench on Monday passed the order after police submitted a report to the court stating that bodies of 58 dead workers could be identified and buried whilst 53 bodies were buried but unclaimed. Since then, 37 of the original 53 unidentified bodies have been identified through DNA testing and 16 are still unidentified, said police.
Deputy attorney general Biswajit Roy represented the police and Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua appeared for the petitioners Naznin Akhter Banu, Saydia Gulrukh Kamal and Mahmudul Hasan Sumon, who are the anthropologists.
-With New Age input