Dhaka Bureau: 11 years ago on this day, Savar’s Rana Plaza collapsed and 1,132 people died (according to ILO calculations). About two thousand workers were injured and crippled. This event, known as the world’s worst ‘industrial tragedy’, shocked the whole world. However, even though this event that took the lives of so many people has passed, the people responsible have not yet been prosecuted. The relatives of the dead workers and thousands of injured workers are still waiting for the accused to be brought to justice. Aggrieved workers also complain about justice and compensation. Four cases were filed in the Rana Plaza collapse incident.
In the meantime, the police filed a murder case, stating that the deaths of the workers were due to negligence. The Capital Development Authority (RAJUK) filed a case for non-compliance with building construction laws. Apart from this, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two more cases on allegations of corruption in building construction and concealment of asset information. According to the court sources, among the 4 cases, one of ACC has been decided by concealing the information about assets. The remaining 3 cases are stuck at the stage of taking evidence. It is alleged that the trial is not being completed quickly as the state party is unable to present the witnesses in court.
Rana Plaza murder case: On the day after the Rana Plaza collapse on April 24, 2013, SI Ali Ashraf of Savar police station filed a case as the plaintiff alleging the death of workers due to negligence. On July 18, 2016, the CID issued the charge sheet. In the charge sheet, 41 people, including the owner of the building, Sohail Rana, and his father, were accused. But three people died, including Sohail’s father. The case is currently at the hearing stage in the court of District Sessions Judge Helal Uddin of Dhaka. In this case, out of a total of 594 witnesses, the state party has completed the testimony of 84 witnesses.
On April 21, the court heard the testimony of four people in the case. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 28. Bimal Samaddar, the lawyer for the state in this case, said that time has been wasted since the beginning of the case. It takes a long time to file the investigation report. After that, when the order was given to frame the charges against the accused, the accused went to the High Court against that order. The case reached the testimony stage after overcoming other legal hurdles. But the witnesses do not appear properly. Even after we have repeatedly summoned the witnesses from the court, they are not appearing. Eventually, many witnesses were arrested by the police. The testimony of 84 people is over. 100 more witnesses may be required. Hopefully, the trial of the case will be completed soon, and the families of the victims will get justice.
Building Law Case: At that time, Sohel Rana and 13 other people were accused in the Savar Model Police Station, and another case was filed by Rajuk officer Md. Helal Ahmed. After the CID investigation, Sohel Rana and his parents, including 18 people, filed a charge sheet in court under Section 12 of the Building Act in this case. 135 people were witnessed. The case was at the hearing stage in the District and Sessions Judge Court of Dhaka. However, the case has been stayed by the High Court on the revision of some of the accused’s charges. All the accused in this case are out on bail.
Corruption case in building construction: The case is currently under trial in the court of Judge SM Ziaur Rahman of the Dhaka Divisional Special Judge Court. 16 out of 18 witnesses have testified in this case. The court accepted the testimony of ACC director MA Mofidul Islam, the investigation officer in the latest case. However, as his interrogation is not over, the testimony is ongoing. April 28 is scheduled for cross-examination and further testimony.
The only case that resulted in imprisonment was the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court sentenced Sohail Rana to 3 years imprisonment on August 29, 2017 in the ACC case of acquiring illegal wealth. On the other hand, the judge sentenced Rana’s mother, Morjina Begum, to 6 years of imprisonment and confiscation of her assets worth Tk 6 crore, 67 lakh, 66 thousand, and 990. Besides, there is a case of arms and drugs against Sohail Rana, which is pending in court. Meanwhile, Farooq Ahmed, the lawyer for the accused Rana, said that this is an accident case. Rana has been in jail for the past 11 years in that case. Not getting bail. All others are on bail. Whatever happens in the judgment of the case will happen. Being imprisoned for 11 years without trial is humanly unjust. So the court should end the trial of the case quickly or grant bail to the accused. Hopefully, Rana and the other accused will be acquitted in the case.
The notable accused in the Rana Plaza collapse case are: Rana Plaza owner Sohail Rana, his father Abdul Khalek (deceased), Rana’s mother Morjina Begum, Savar Municipality Ward No. 7 Commissioner Haji Muhammad Ali, Khulna University Assistant Professor (Architecture Discipline) ATM Masud Reza. , Engineer Sajjad Hossain, and Mayor of Savar Municipality. Refatullah, former chief executive officer of Savar municipality Uttam Kumar Roy, executive engineer Rafiqul Islam, former assistant engineer Mahbubur Rahman, former deputy assistant engineer Rakibul Hasan Russell, former town planner of Savar municipality Farzana Islam, license inspector Md. Abdul Mottalib, former secretary of the municipality Morjina Khan, former secretary Md. Abul Bashar, Phantom Apparels Limited Chairman Muhammad Aminul Islam, New Web Bottoms Limited MD Bajlus Samad, and Ether Tex Limited Chairman Md. Anisur Rahman. All the accused except Sohail Rana are on bail.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning in front of Rana Plaza in Savar, the Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity Initiative held a photo exhibition and discussion on ‘Hazaro Pran O Swapnore Kabo’ to demand punishment and respectable compensation for the guilty. The exhibition was inaugurated by Jasmin, a worker who was rescued from being trapped in the Rana Plaza building for 2 days.
Jasmine said in the discussion that I was trapped like this for 2 days; there was no hope of survival. For 11 years, I have been carrying painful memories in my mind and body. But the culprits have not been punished yet. If the guilty were punished, we would have some peace in our lives. Taslima Akhtar, president of Garment Workers’ Solidarity, said that even in 11 years, the judicial process of killing so many lives has not been expedited. Apart from Sohail Rana, the owner of the factory building, other owners and government officials are out of jail on bail. This slow pace of justice is an attempt to patronize the owners and convicts and save them. He claimed that the compensation given to the workers was not respectable. Their program will continue today.
