A Dhaka court on Monday framed charges against four people, including the former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman Humayun Khadem in a case filed over the FR Tower fire.
Special Judge of Dhaka division, Syed Kamal Hossain indicted the four giving a go-ahead of their trials. The court fixed November 15 for the deposition of the witnesses.
The other defendants in the case are--Syed Md Hossain Imam Faruque, leaseholder of FR Tower, Liakat Ali Khan Mukul, chairman of Rupayan Housing Estate and former chief engineer of Rajuk Saidur Rahman.
The court also exonerated Rajuk’s former authorized officer Syed Makbul Ahmed because of his death. All the four accused are now out on bail.
The 23-storied FR Tower caught fire on March 28, 2019, leaving 25 people dead and 73 others injured.
The Anti-Corruption Commission found that the building had narrow exit points and staircases, and no fire alarm. Also, the fire exits were blocked.
The FR Tower authority had permission for a 15-story building, but they had allowed builder Rupayan illegally add eight more floors over time.
On June 25, 2019, ACC Deputy Director Abu Bakar Siddique filed two cases with ACC's integrated district office Dhaka-1 to this end.
On October 29, 2019, ACC submitted charges against five people in the case.
