A Dhaka Court yesterday placed the father of Sohel Rana on 13 days’ remand in connection with the two cases filed against him by the police and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
Sohel Rana’s father Abdul Khalek Bepary alias Kulu Khalek, 65, was alleged to have had involvement with the collapse of Rana Plaza, the eight-storey building that housed five garments factories at Savar in the capital’s outskirts, an incident which killed around 400 people and injured more than 2,000.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Washim Sheikh passed the order for Khalek with seven days’ remand for the case filed by the police and a further six days for the case filed by Rajuk.
Since no lawyers pleaded for the accused, the Court asked Khalek for his say. In response, he mentioned that he and his son were not present at the plaza during the collapse. He also said they did not ask the labourers to work in the risky situation.
He said: “The owners and officials of the garments factories asked the labourers to work, so they are the ones who are guilty for this disaster and killing. We even wanted to bring a Rajuk engineer but the owners said they would fix it themselves.”
Earlier on April 29, the day Rana was granted 15 days’ remand, the Detective Branch of Police arrested Khalek from Aarong Lane at Maghbazar, in the afternoon, while he was waiting to go to Kamlapur Railway Station and leave Dhaka.
On April 25, Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf Khan of Savar police station filed a case against Rana, his father Abdul Khalek and the owners of the garments factories for the loss of lives and damage from the building collapse.
Rajuk’s authorised officer Helal Uddin filed another case against Rana for breaching the Building Construction Act and building code.
In the meantime, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday arrested a man on charges of helping Sohel Rana to flee.
Lt Col Ismat Hayat, director of Rab 1 said: “We raided a house in the Malibagh area of the capital and arrested Abul Hasan.”
The director said the arrest was made as Hasan helped Rana in making an escape plan to India, adding that Hasan, a rice and oil trader, sheltered Rana in his village home at Hoglakandi in sadar upazila of Faridpur district on his way to Benapole.
The Rab director further added that Hasan and Rana are relatives and he has been arrested in relation to a case filed with Savar police station.
