Bailey Road Fire: 'Kacchi Bhai' owner placed on 2-day remand
A Dhaka court today placed Sohel Siraj, owner of "Kacchi Bhai" restaurant, on a two-day police remand in connection with a case filed over the deadly fire at the Green Cozy Cottage shopping mall on Bailey Road in Dhaka on February 29 that claimed 46 lives.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tahmina Haque passed the order after investigation officer Masud Parvez, an inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), produced Sohel before the court with a five-day remand prayer, said a court staffer.
Police yesterday arrested Sohel at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
On March 1, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, sub-inspector of Ramna Model Police Station, filed the case against Amin Mohammad Group and three others, bringing allegations of causing death by negligence and attempted murder.
Amin Mohammad Group is the owner of the seven-storey shopping mall.
According to the case statement, the building has been rented out for carrying out commercial activities in violation of rules. The accused and other restaurant owners and managers have been operating their business illegally by "managing the shop inspectors of Rajuk," said the case statement.
After primary investigation, it is known that the owner and manager of the building rented out the facility to several restaurants and shops without proper approval from the concerned authorities. These restaurants used gas cylinders and stoves for cooking without proper safety measures, it also said.
With the connivance of the building owner and the manager, the proprietors of various restaurants within the building have been storing a large number of gas cylinders on the ground floor and have been using these gas cylinders and gas stoves in a negligent, reckless, careless and dangerous manner violating public safety rules, the case statement continued.
The statement said one such gas cylinder, stored in the kitchen of "Chumuk" restaurant, exploded, triggering a fire that engulfed the building, causing deaths and injuries through burns and suffocation to individuals in restaurants and shops on various floors.
The statement said the building was constructed as a residential building. Later, the accused, along with other businesses on different floors, managed to obtain commercial certificates from relevant authorities for conducting business within the structure.
However, the statement said, the restaurant owners didn't have permission from the fire service office to use gas cylinders, and stoves for cooking. Moreover, the absence of sufficient fire extinguishers, firefighting equipment, and fire exit stairs further exacerbated the situation, it added.
The negligence, recklessness, and carelessness of the building owner and the accused led to the tragic deaths of 46 people, with many others sustaining severe burns and smoke-related injuries, added the case statement.
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