The deadly fire at BM Container Depot in Chittagong’s Sitakunda that claimed at least 46 lives till now is a case of structural murder, right activists say.
They questioned the role of the depot owners saying that the government agencies were provided with little to no help in handling the incident.
The activists were speaking at a virtual discussion titled "Sitakunda Fire Structural Murder: Citizen Protest and Response" on Saturday.
CollectedRezaur Rahman Lenin, human rights activist and researcher, delivered the keynote address at the program.
He said: "We haven’t seen anyone from the owners' side inspecting the site, so far."
Rezaur Rahman Lenin also blamed the government agencies for negligence as no owner was accused in a case filed in connection with the incident. “Rather, Nurul Akhter, Khaledur Rahman, and many others injured in the accident have been made accused in the case.”
The protocol of fire safety plan to prevent and deal with fire did not exist or was not effective, he added.
Maha Mirza, a researcher said that the structural murder would have been possible to avoid if recommendations in investigation reports of previous fire incidents were made public and implemented by punishing the culprits.
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“The majority of the firefighters who entered the site in the first stage were killed and injured as they were not warned of the stockpile of hazardous chemicals, that caused the fire to lose control and cause damage and casualties,” said Prof Harun Ur Rashid.
Prof Anu Muhammad said that it is crucial to increase the number of labour inspectors to expand the fire brigade's capacity and provide a safe working environment in the factory.
Dr CR Abrar, convener of the organization, in his speech said that compensation for the deceased should be twice as much as the amount the person could have earned if they were alive.
Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua moderated the event.
