Unauthorized relocation of natural gas risers by two consumers, illegal power connection and negligence of the mosque’s management committee are to blame for the September 4 Narayanganj mosque blast that left 31 people dead, says a probe report of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TDTGCL).
Meanwhile, the probe body formed by the Narayanganj district administration has reached a similar conclusion through its investigation of that tragic incident.
According to both reports, nobody or no organization was solely responsible for the incident.
Titas submitted its report to the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, while the other probe body filed its findings to the Narayanganj district administration on Thursday afternoon.
TDTGCL General Manager (planning and development) and probe committee chief Md Abdul Wahab said that gas had spread inside the mosque from the riser of the illegal line, which was damaged partly when the mosque was built without permission being acquired from the proper authorities.
"Besides, the mosque had an illegal power connection, which caused electric sparks, and eventually the explosion," he told the media while submitting the probe report.
He criticized the leaders of the mosque management committee for the gas leak inside the mosque, “They [the mosque management committee members] claimed to have reported the matter to Titas six months ago, but during interrogation, they confirmed that it was only two weeks prior to the incident.”
According to him, the gas company did not receive any complaints of the reported bribes demanded by its employees to fix the leaks.
“Interestingly, the mosque management committee leaders did not specifically accuse anyone of the irregularities despite claiming to the media that some Titas employees had demanded Tk50,000 for fixing the leaks,” the Titas probe body chief added.
The two probe committees were supposed to submit their findings on September 10 but crossed the deadline. Later on, they were given more time to finish the job.
Minister of State for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that the ministry would examine the Titas report and identify those responsible for the blast.
“Nobody will be spared if found guilty. We’re yet to go through the report. It’ll help us identify the people due to whose negligence this happened,” he told reporters.
Hamid said that the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) was investigating how the mosque had managed to get an illegal connection.
He said the inquiry report would be made public through the ministry’s website.
Khadiza Tahera Bobby, Narayanganj Additional District Magistrate and head of the district administration’s probe body, confirming the aforementioned findings, told reporters that the body had placed an18-point recommendation to the deputy commissioner so that such incidents could be avoided in future.
“We did not hold anyone or any specific agency solely responsible for the blast in our probe report,” she said.
The blast that took place at the Baitus Salah Jame Mosque of Narayanganj during Esha prayers on the night of September 4 had claimed the lives of 31 people until Tuesday night.
One of the injured returned home after treatment, while the condition of five others is still critical.
Our Narayanganj correspondent Shamima Rita contributed to this report