Although 13 years have passed since the deadly Tazreen Fashions fire that claimed 119 lives and injured many other workers, the trial has been moving forward at a snail鈥檚 pace.
The Tazreen factory fire, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the country鈥檚 history, happened on November 24, 2012, at Narshinghapur of Ashulia, on the outskirts of the Dhaka city.
According to a joint statement issued by Garments Sramik Oikya Forum general secretary (in-charge) Shahidul Islam Sabuj and journalist and activist Saydia Gulrukh, 68 dates were set for recording testimony, but witnesses were produced on only 10 occasions.
Members of the Garments Sramik Oikya Forum, an organisation working for worker rights, were present in court at all hearings.
The statement also said that of the 104 listed witnesses, the court had so far heard from just 14.
In the last two scheduled hearings, the prime accused, Tazreen Fashions owner Delwar Hossain, did not appear, citing illness.
Labour rights campaigners feared that Delwar might now be absconding, the statement added, saying that in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, two government inquiry committees were formed whose investigations highlighted severe negligence by the factory owners regarding worker safety.
The home ministry probe report stated that the deaths at Tazreen Fashions Ltd were extremely tragic and caused widespread outrage at home and abroad.
鈥榃hile the fire may have been an act of sabotage, the owner鈥檚 unforgivable negligence was responsible for the scale of the deaths,鈥� the report added, urging to bring the owner of Tazreen Fashions Ltd under law and prosecute under Section 304 (A) of the Penal Code.
Following the recommendations, two separate cases were filed, one by the brother of a missing worker and another by the Ashulia police.
The investigation was led by three officers, including Ashulia police station inspector Md Mostafa Kamal, Criminal Investigation Department鈥檚 senior assistant superintendent of police Md Monsur Ali Mondol, and CID inspector AKM Mohsinuzzaman Khan.
On December 2, 2013, they submitted a charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, naming 104 witnesses.
On September 3, 2015, charges were formally framed against 13 accused, including the owner, Delwar Hossain, and testimony began on October 1 of that year.
The statement criticised the trial鈥檚 sluggish pace, attributing it to the state鈥檚 negligence.
鈥榃e believe that the state is responsible for this procrastination,鈥� the statement said, adding that such inaction effectively shielded the factory owner from accountability.
The statement highlighted the involvement of researchers, journalists, lawyers, cultural activists and labour leaders who have been closely monitoring the case.
According to the charge sheet submitted on December 2, 2013, Delwar and his wife, Mahmuda Akhter, built the factory building based on a faulty plan and illegally converted the ground floor walkway into a warehouse, severely compromising safety.
The factory lacked fire exits, in violation of labour law, which requires at least two emergency exits in every factory. This failure, coupled with the illegal structural modifications, left workers trapped during the devastating fire.
The Garment Sramik Samhati will hold a rally in front of the factory at 11:00 am today to show respect to the workers killed. The president of the organisation, Taslima Akhter, will chair the rally.