42 charged over Rana Plaza collapse

Criminal Investigation Department today pressed charges against 42 people including Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana in two cases filed over the building collapse that killed 1,135 people two years back.

Bijoy Krishna Kar, assistant superintendent of police of CID, submitted two separate charge-sheets before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Dhaka in the cases – one filed for killing the people while another for violating building code.

The nine-storied Rana Plaza that housed a number of readymade garment factories collapsed on April 24, 2013.

The CID charged Rana and 40 others for killing 1,135 people, mostly garment workers, and injuring many others while 18 were charged for building code violation. Of them, Names of 17 accused are common in both the cases.

A total of 594 people were shown prosecution witnesses in the case while 130 in the other case.

Among the accused, 25 people including some government officials were shown fugitive.

Rajuk official Helaluddin filed one of the cases against Sohel Rana for structural fault found at the building, constructing the structure with substandard materials and violating the National Building Code.

The other case was filed by Sub-Inspector Wali Ashraf of Savar Police Station against Rana, his father Abdul Khalek, and the owners of five garments housed in the nine-storey building for the loss of lives.