41 face murder charge over Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh

[webfact]

41 face murder charge over Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh
Chaitanya Chandra Halder and Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary
The Daily Star

KILLING OF 1,136 PEOPLE IN RANA PLAZA COLLAPSE

DHAKA: -- More than two years after the Rana Plaza building collapse, police yesterday pressed murder charges against 41 people, including the building's owner Sohel Rana, for their alleged roles in the country's deadliest industrial disaster that killed over 1,100 people in April 2013.

Eighteen people were also charged for “violating building codes” in constructing the nine-storey building that housed five garment factories on its upper floors in Savar. Of them, 17 are among the 41.

Most of the dead were garment workers who toiled day and night stitching clothes for global brands.

The accused persons also include Rana's parents, owners of four factories, mayor of Savar municipality and 14 government officials.

But the then Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Savar Md Kabir Hossain Sarder was not charged as the government did not permit the investigating officer to do so.

It took the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) 25 months to submit the charge sheet in the case that shook the world. The delay was caused by government's alleged dillydally in giving permission to implicate its officials and recording of statements of a large number of witnesses.

Bijoy Krishna Kar, assistant superintendent of police of CID, submitted two charge sheets -- one for killing and another for violating building code -- before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court of Dhaka.

On June 28, the court will decide whether to accept the charges.

In the charge sheets, the CID cited 724 people as witnesses to prove the cases.

The shoddily constructed commercial building came crashing down on the morning of April 24, 2013, leaving 1,136 people dead and injuring 1,169 more, according to the case statement.

Media and labour organisations put the number of injured at over 2,500.

Full story: http://www.asianewsnet.net/news-75923.html


-- ANN 2015-06-02