The High Court yesterday granted six months bail to Sohel Rana in a case filed for violating building code in constructing Rana Plaza, which collapsed last year killing over a thousand garment workers. The bail order prompted angry reactions from the labour leaders. The HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Hasan and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the bail order following a petition by Sohels lawyers yesterday. However, the bench refused to hear another bail petition filed by Sohel in the case filed for the loss of lives in the collapse. The nine-storey Rana Plaza that housed a number of readymade garment factories collapsed on April 24 last year, killing 1,138 people, mostly garment workers. However, Rana will not be released from jail since he is arrested in the other case filed by police, Deputy Attorney General Md Selim told The Daily Star. Selim also said the government would file an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the HC bail order. Meanwhile, different workers groups have given angry reaction and demanded death penalty of Rana. “With due respect for the court, I want to say the bail order is shameful. Because of Rana, 1,138 workers died and numerous received severe injuries,” said Amirul Haque Amin, president of National Garment Workers Federation. Rana had forced the workers to enter the factories though big cracks appeared in the building. We are not satisfied at the bail order to such a person,” he added. Echoing him, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation Nazma Akter said Ranas bail may encourage other criminals like him to commit more heinous and dangerous acts. Terming the HC order unfair, Sirajul Islam Rony, who represented workers at the last government-formed wage board for RMG workers, threatened agitation programmes if Ranas bail order was not cancelled. “It is on Ranas order that the workers entered the risky building [on the day of collapse]. So he must be given strict punishment,” an angry Rony told The Daily Star. Savar Pourasava authorities filed the first case for violating Bangladesh National Building Code while constructing Rana Plaza on the day the building collapsed while Savar police filed the other case the next day for the casualties.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 19:55:04 +0000
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