Affected workers and family members of those killed in the Tazreen Fashions fire last year staged demonstrations on Friday in front of the fire- ravaged factory at Nichintapur in Ashulia, on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, and expressed their frustration over the slow pace of investigation. Many affected people also said they were yet to receive compensation while many demanded exemplary punishment of the factory owner Delwar Hossain and others in the management for their negligence which had left 112 people killed in the blaze allegedly caused by poor fire safety.
The family members of affected and some survivors recalled the horror as they gathered near the factory to offer prayers organised in memory of the deceased two days before the anniversary of the tragedy.
On November 24, 2012, a devastating fire broke out on the ground floor of the multi-storey building and quickly engulfed other floors with the management initially barring evacuation, leaving many workers trapped inside.
Al least 112 workers were either burnt to death or died while trying to escape the blaze.
On Friday, the victims’ families also brought out a peaceful procession demanding justice.
‘I did not see the body of my sister killed in the fire,’ said Matinul Islam Matin, who lost his sister Rehana Begum in the fire.
Rehana was among the 16 who remained missing since unidentified bodies of 12 victims were buried in Jurain graveyard in Dhaka. Matin expressed his deep frustration at the slow pace of investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department of the case filed with the Ashulia police station against unnamed miscreants.
About the investigation, the case supervising officer, Mansur Ali Mandol, a senior assistant superintendent
of CID, on Friday said the investigation y had almost been completed and hoped the charge sheet would be submitted by December.
He earlier had said that the investigation had found that negligence by the factory owner and other executives in the management had caused the deaths of such a large number of workers.
Like Matin, dozens of affected workers and their family members narrated their plight.
Abu Raihan said that his mother Anjuara Begum, who had sustained critical burns in the incident, was yet to receive any compensation.
‘Many promised that compensation would be given but we have not received it as yet,’ Raihan told New Age.
Social workers and rights activists also joined the affected people and organised protest and a cultural programme to put pressure on the government to handle the matter sincerely.
Many survivors have already changed their occupation due to trauma or disabilities.
Masud Rana of Jhenaidah opened a small tea-stall in Nichintapur village after he realised he could not continue in the job due to his injuries in the fire.
‘After recovery, I had joined Ha-Meem factory but could not continue in the job due to lack of physical strength,’ he said at his tea-stall.
Physicians recommended a surgery that might cost him over Tk 70,000.
Fire survivor Mirajul Islam who broke his right arm in the accident said he was still unable to do any work.
The government and other agencies concerned had not paid necessary attention to the health conditions of the workers after the fire which left many of them jobless and many others disabled, said social activist-anthropologist Saydia Gulrukh campaigning for justice for the affected workers and their families.
A few months after the incident, missing Rehana’s brother Matin, also an apparel worker, had filed murder case with the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Dhaka against the factory owner Delwar and 29 others.
The court several times had asked Ashulia police to investigate but the investigation was yet to be completed.
When asked, Ashulia police inspector (investigation) Shahinur Rahman said the investigation could not be completed because he was yet to record the statement of the plaintiff.
He said he had called the plaintiff but he did not meet him at the police station.
‘I do not trust police as I believe they have nexus with the factory owner,’ said Matin.
Saydia Gulrukh also alleged that there was a nexus between the factory management and police that was causing the delay in the investigation.
The fire-wrecked factory, meanwhile, was repaired.
When approached, Chowdhury Kamal Uddin, a manager of Tuba group, the mother company of Tazreen Fashions, on Friday said the fire was an accident and they had tried to compensate the victims as far as they could.
Before the fire, the factory used to produce clothing for the world’s leading apparel retailers, including Wal-Mart.
-With New Age input
