Different organisations, including rights bodies, on Wednesday protested at the fire at a garment factory and its adjacent chemical warehouse at Shialbari in the capital鈥檚 Mirpur area on Tuesday, which claimed at least 16 lives.
They demanded punishment for those responsible for the incident and compensation for the victims.
抖阴精品鈥檚 DU correspondent reported that the Socialist Students鈥� Front in a statement demanded proper treatment and rehabilitation of those injured in the Mirpur fire and adequate聽 financial assistance to the families of the deceased.
The release also sought fair investigation into the incident and punishment of those responsible for it.
The release said that unplanned urbanisation, mismanagement in industrial operations, lack of workplace safety and the government鈥檚 negligence had caused the tragedy.
The Democratic Students鈥� Alliance staged a protest rally in the evening at the base of Dhaka University鈥檚 Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture, demanding that the authorities publish information on the deaths and injuries and that the state provide compensation to the victims鈥� families.
The National Citizen Party also held a protest rally at the Mirpur-10 crossing, demanding the arrest of those responsible, including the owners of the illegal garment factory and chemical warehouse, providing Tk 1 crore in compensation to the family of each deceased, and the removal of all chemical warehouses from residential areas.
The Institute for Planning and Development in a statement has termed the deaths of workers in the fire incident a case of structural and negligence-induced homicide.
The statement said that the workers were forced to die helplessly due to the unauthorised establishment of hazardous industrial facilities, the lack of adequate firefighting and safety systems in buildings, the use of structures and factories for dangerous purposes without proper approval, and the failure to follow proper urban planning regulations.
Human rights organisation Odhikar, in a statement, demanded a fair investigation into the incident and that the findings be made public.
In a statement, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad demanded exemplary punishment for the owners of the garment factory and chemical warehouse, as well as the government officials responsible for the incident.聽
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Mohila Parishad and Bangladesh Trade Union Songho in separate statements also protested at the fire incident and demanded justice and compensation.
