Photo : Collected
117 garment workers were killed and more than 200 others injured in a massive fire at the factory in Nishchintapur of Ashulia on 24 November 2012. Today marks the 11 years since that tragic incident.
However, the trial for this tragic incident is running at a snail’s pace even after 11 years of the incident. Only 11 out of total 104 witnesses have testified in the case since the court ordered trial in the case by framing charges against the accused, including the factory's Managing Director Delwar Hossain on 3 September 2015.
During these eight years, the state produced witnesses in court on just eight of the 56 hearing dates. The hearing has been postponed owing to the state's failure to bring witnesses for testimony.
The government's negligence benefited the owners by allowing them to avoid accountability and preventing workers' attempts to seek justice, according to a joint statement issued on Thursday (23 November) on the 11th anniversary of the tragedy by Justice for Tazreen and Garments Shramik Oikya Forum, two workers' platforms.
The case's final hearing date was November 1. It was eventually rescheduled for March 25th since the witnesses did not arrive on that day as well.
Delwar Hossain, the owner of Tazreen Fashions and the managing director of Toba Group, who was released on bail in the case in 2018, is currently participating in the politics of the Awami Matsyajibi League.
Messenger/Sun Yath
