State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said charge sheets in the cases filed over last year’s deadly Rana Plaza collapse would be submitted soon.
The Home Ministry yesterday organised a press conference to inform the newsmen about the government steps since the collapse until now. Before it commenced, the attendants observed one-minute silence to show respect to the victims.
Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry CQK Mustaq Ahmed, IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker and RAB DG Mokhlesur Rahman were also present.
About identifying vulnerable buildings and demolishing them, Asaduzzaman said preparation of making a list was underway and that 1,050 buildings had already been identified.
At least 1,136 people, mainly female workers of five garment factories housed in the faulty Rana Plaza at Savar, died after it had collapsed on April 24 morning last year. As many as 2,458 persons were rescued alive from under the rubbles.
The state minister said so far 21 persons who are accused in two cases – one filed by police for homicide and another by Rajuk for violating building code – had been arrested, and eight of them secured bail from the High Court.
“We have been working so that the charge sheets are prepared properly,” the state minister said. “We hope to submit the charge sheets soon to the court.”
Explaining the reason behind delay in submission of the charge sheets, Hassan Mahmood said: “Sometimes it takes time for investigation. However, we assure you that it will be possible to submit the charge sheets very soon and the guilty persons will be brought to book.”
Rajuk filed a case on April 25 for breaching building construction act and building code while the murder case was filed the same day with Savar police station by Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf.
Primarily, CID found 39 accused as per evidence. Investigators later put the total number of accused at 21 in the murder case and 12 in the other.
The prime accused in the police case and Rana’s father, Abdul Khalek, got bail in October. Eighteen other accused are now absconding.
Another murder case was filed with the Dhaka Judge’s Court by deceased garment worker Jahangir Alam’s wife Sheuli Akter. Two other cases were filed with Dhamrai police station under Arms Act by DB Inspector Shahin Shah Parvez. The CID started investigating the three cases soon after the incident.