By Mainul Islam Khan
DHAKA, Bangladesh
A court in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka has indicted two factory owners on manslaughter and negligence charges for a fire incident that left over 100 garment workers dead in 2012.
The Dhaka Judges Court framed the charges against Tazreen Fashions factory Managing Director Delwar Hossain and his wife, factory Chairperson Mahmuda Akter on Thursday. Eleven others charged in the case were also indicted. The court also ordered the arrest of a factory security guard for not appearing before the court.
The trial will begin on October 1.
Police had submitted a charge sheet against the 13 accused in December 2013 on manslaughter and liable negligence charges under Bangladesh’s Criminal Procedure Code.
The fire broke out at Tazreen on November 24, 2012, presumably caused by an electrical short circuit that started from the ground floor of the nine-storied factory building. The incident left at least 112 people dead.
Tazreen Fashions is one of the seven factories of its owner Delwar Hossain, which used to manufacture products for leading western brands.
Bangladesh's garment industry has become a $19 billion industry but 1,800 have died in accidents since 2005, according to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. The deadliest accident was in 2013 when an eight-story building Rana Plaza housing clothing factories, apartments and several shops collapsed in Savar, killing at least 1,129 people and injuring 2,515 others.
