'So many people died but Rana and the owners were not punished'

The push for justice in Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster has rolled on for years, but no one is listening to all those injured in the incident

More than a decade has passed since more than 1,100 people were killed and many others injured in the Rana Plaza collapse. Shila Begum, who has a disability following the incident, is frustrated that none of the perpetrators have been punished.

Recalling the day of the disaster, she said: "A crack was seen on the building on the 23rd. An engineer visited and marked the building as 'risky.' They put up a banner and locked the building. But Rana and the garment owners forced us to go back to work. They threatened us, saying they would not pay two months of salaries if we did not return."

"They threatened us and made us start work at 8am on Apr 24. Because of them, so many people lost their lives. So many were crippled. But they have yet to be punished. We want their punishment as soon as possible."

As many as 1,135 people were killed when the eight-storey Rana Plaza near the Savar Bus Stand collapsed on Apr 24, 2013. Another 1,000 garment workers were injured in the incident. Of them, 78 became physically disabled. Shila is one of them.

Shila worked at Ether Textile Garments, housed on the sixth floor of Rana Plaza.

She said that she had been living a happy married life when her husband died in a sudden road accident and turned her life upside down. After her husband’s death, Shila's in-laws drove her and her two-year-old daughter out of their house.

She went to her parent's place in Barishal and then moved to Dhaka's Savar in 2010 to earn a living and began work at Rana Plaza.

She was rescued in critical condition some 18 hours after Rana Plaza collapsed.

Shila said, "I am now disabled as the veins in my right hand were torn. A beam fell on my stomach, damaging the intestines. My spine is broken as well. I am somehow alive, but I have severe pain."

Shila said she is worried about her daughter, who may not be able to continue her education due to the lack of family funds.

“After my in-laws kicked me out, I went to my parents. I have many siblings. Poverty is a regular part o our family life. Eventually, I came to Dhaka with my sister, leaving my daughter in the village. She scored a golden A plus in grade 5 and grade 8. But she wasn't keeping well during her SSC exams and her GPA dropped to 4.50. In the HSC, she scored GPA-5. But I could not arrange for her to sit for the admission test anywhere due to the lack of money. She has been studying at Barishal Mohila College."

Shila said her daughter had completed the first and second year of her honours degree. "I couldn't buy her books for the third year. Her studies are suspended for now."

Seeking help from the rich, Shila said: "I am only living in Dhaka to get medical treatment and am passing the time somehow with or without food."

“If anyone had helped, I would have transferred my daughter to Dhaka. I had long nurtured a big dream of making my daughter a big official. But now, everything is over."

Shila claims the injured in the incident have never received any compensation from the government, even after so many years. "We should receive compensation equivalent to our lifetime earnings and also proper medical treatment."

“And the building is just left empty. The government should arrange something there for the rehabilitation of the workers, so we can earn a living. If it doesn't take any action, we'll go on a hunger strike near the National Press Club in Dhaka."

‘WE ARE PART OF A MOVEMENT, BUT NO ONE CARES'

Yanur is one of the 78 people who became disabled after the collapse of Rana Plaza. She was 13 years old at the time of the incident.

She survived the building collapse, but cannot walk unassisted. She is unable to carry her child on her lap even if she wants to and cannot assist her husband in any way.

"Why did Allah keep me alive? It would have been better to die!" a frustrated Yanur said.

Asked why she worked in a garment factory at an early age, Yanur said she had no choice. She is the eldest of six siblings and their father could not make enough money by selling street food to provide for the family. Therefore, her mother, Anwara started to work in a garment factory. When her earnings also proved insufficient for the family, Yanur joined work as well.

Describing the day of the deadly building collapse, Yanur told bdnews24.com: "My office was on the sixth floor and my mother's was on the seventh floor. On Apr 24, we went to work together. Then the building collapsed. This happened four months after I joined. Around 3am, the army rescued me and took me to CMH [Combined Military Hospital]."

“After a surgery, they sent me to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. I was still slightly conscious. When the army asked, I could provide them the first ten digits of my father’s phone number. They managed the last digit and called my family to inform them about me. Later, my family went to the hospital.”

Yanur said the doctors declared her dead a few days after the incident. “They pronounced me dead after seven days. However, as Allah wanted me to live, I responded. My father saw me moving a finger.”

She said she later received treatment in Apollo Hospital for two and a half months. “I have gone through six surgeries in both my legs and couldn’t walk without a crutch. Later, I found out that my mother had died.”

She said they all become “orphans” after their mother died. “I got married, and my father has aged. I am sick, paralysed and bed-ridden. I am going through the worst time of my life.”

Rana Plaza collapse sent shockwaves around the world. Though a decade has passed since the incident, the murder and building code trials have yet to conclude.

Although several cases were filed after the incident, these two were the key ones. While building owner Sohel Rana is in jail, most of the other suspects are out on bail or at large.

Yanur expressed her despair that the trials have been delayed for long.

“Those who caused harm to so many people, are free and living a boastful life. Whereas for us, we have neither got justice, nor assistance. A few months ago, Advisor Asif Mahmud called and spoke to us,” she said.

“We demanded a compensation Tk 4.5 million equivalent to our lifetime earnings. Then there was no contact from his office. We have been conducting a movement for the last 12 years but no one cares. We want financial assistance, proper treatment and rehabilitation.”