FACTORY FIRE HC orders arrest of Tazreen owner

This November 26, 2012 photo shows the burnt-out factory of Tazreen Fashions, where a fatal fire took the lives of 112 workers on November 24 last year. Photo: STAR

This November 26, 2012 photo shows the burnt-out factory of Tazreen Fashions, where a fatal fire took the lives of 112 workers on November 24 last year.

The High Court on Sunday directed the government to immediately arrest the owner of Tazreen Fashion Ltd and produce him before it on May 30 to explain his stance on the factory fire incident that left 112 people dead in November last year.

The HC came with the direction in response to a writ petition and also asked the government to issue red alert at all the land ports and airports of the country so that Delwar Hossain, the owner of the factory, could not leave the country.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain also issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be directed to arrest Delwar for his alleged negligence in protecting the garments workers from fire.

In the rule, the court also asked the government to explain why its inaction to arrest Delwar should not be declared illegal.

On April 28, three anthropologists–Naznin Akter Banu, Saydia Gulrukh Kamal and Mahmudul Hasan Sumon– filed the writ seeking directives from the HC on the government to arrest Delwar and punish him in connection with the fire incident.

Source: The Daily Star