"If there were proper safety measures in place before the fire engulfed Green Cozy Cottage on Bailey Road, such a catastrophic incident could have been avoided. Why there are so much security after the fire?”
These were the words of Abul Kashem, the grieving father of Shahjalal Uddin, one of the 46 unfortunate victims.
He visited the charred remains of the building with his family on Sunday morning.
He expressed his profound distress, saying that he does not find peace anywhere anymore.
“I came here today to go inside the building. But they (police) did not let in. There is so much security now, but if they were there before the incident, so many people would not have died,” Abul Kashem said.
He said: "I talked to my son the day before the incident. Then there was no chance to talk.”
On Sunday morning, several policemen were seen at the scene on security duty. A security fence was placed in front of the building to dissuade the pedestrians.
People passing by still bear witness to the haunting aftermath of the fire, their expressions reflecting a mixture of shock and sorrow.
Taslima Akhter Lima, Shahjalal's sister, said: "Only people who have lost someone like this will understand the pain. I believe my brother will come back. It seems he is standing here. Always check my phone thinking my brother will call.”
She said: “There is only one request to the state - that this incident should be judged fairly. No one should lose a family member like this.”
At least four people have been arrested in connection with the fire in Bailey Road’s Green Cozy Cottage, that claimed the lives of 46 people.
Over 20 others sustained severe injuries in the incident that took place on February 29.
Firefighters rescued 70 people, including 42 in an unconscious state, from the rooftop and different floors of the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage.
Most of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation, said firefighters who brought the fire under control around 12:30am.
Fire officials say the blaze spread fast due to the presence of gas cylinders on several floors in the restaurant kitchens. People could not leave the building due to smoke in the staircase.
