N’ganj Factory Fire: It’s an act of ‘systematic killing’

The death of workers at Hashem Foods factory in Narayanganj was an act of systematic killing, stated a report of the Citizen Probe Committee.

"The devastating incident took place due to indifference, negligence and greed of the owner. That's why we're not terming it an accident, but rather a systematic killing," the report read.

On July 8, a deadly fire razed the factory of Hashem Foods Limited in Rupganj of Narayanganj, killing at least 52 workers and staffers of the factory.

However, the probe committee said in their investigation that they found 54 people died in the fire incident.

The summary of the 100-page probe report on the fire incident at Hashem Foods factory and workers' deaths was shared yesterday at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Nineteen eminent citizens prepared the probe in 30 days and it is based on spot visits, interviews and document analysis.

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, convener of the 19-member probe committee, read out the report.

The committee demanded punishment of the responsible officials of the government authorities for their negligence in ensuring fire safety at the factory.

There were no emergency staircases in the building, yet it was functioning in front of the eyes of the administration, the report said.

"We've confirmed that there were all sorts of flammable amenities but no protection from fire or saving lives," it said.

They pointed out that each floor of the factory building is above 34,500 square feet but the fire escape and staircase were far from the workspace which is a violation of the building code. There was no smoke detector, fire alarm and fire exit.

The probe committee found that the Fire Service knew about the faulty fire protection system yet allowed the factory to operate for the six-month interim period. They gave notices to Hashem Foods Limited four times to implement fire protection and the last notice was given four days before the incident.

Against the backdrop of the notice, director of Hashem Foods Tareque Ibrahim on a Tk 300 non-judicial stamp pledged of taking liabilities of damages by fire and accept legal actions.

"Needless to say, there is no legal basis of such affidavit. Accepting affidavit institutionally is nothing but averting duties," reads the report adding, "All the evidence suggests that the government organisations are largely liable for the fire."

There are allegations of negligence against the Department of Labour and Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments but no action has been taken.

The committee recommended taking legal action against the responsible government officials to avert incidents like this in future.

The probe committee recommended increasing the number of inspectors of the Department of Labour, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments and Fire Service and strengthening the capacity of the fire service.

A member of the probe committee and professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University Anu Muhammad said the government is formulating Tk 6 lakh crore budget and taking mega projects on development but could not recruit necessary manpower at the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.

The incident recurred as the persons responsible for the fire at Tazreen Fashion and Rana Plaza were not punished, he said.

Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the people were killed in the fire due to the negligence of the owner, fire service and factor inspector.

"Alongside increasing capacity of the government organisation, it is necessary to ensure their accountability," he said.