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Published : 31 Aug 2024, 08:51 AM
The aftermath of the looting and arson has left the Gazi tyres factory in Narayanganj looking like a ghostly castle from a fairy tale, with remnants of ash and charred metal scattered about and relatives waiting for news of the missing.
The factory, part of the Gazi Group, was set ablaze on Aug 25, following a series of looting and arson incidents that began on Aug 5.
Reports of clashes, gunfire, and numerous casualties between the Gazi Group and local villagers over land disputes on that day have intensified the mystery, as no one is coming forward with further details.
On Thursday, villagers and workers recounted the events. Many described how looting and fighting spread, with even bus passengers abandoning their vehicles to join the chaos.
Gazi Group owner Gazi Golam Dostgir, a former textile and jute minister, and his wife Hasina Gazi, the mayor of Tarabo municipality, have been reported to have occasional disputes with various parties over political supremacy and land.
Despite this, local villagers are reluctant to discuss whether the fire was a result of political motives or land disputes.
Some, concerned about security, preferred anonymity.
They claim that the Aug 25 clash was a 'political skirmish' and local villagers were not involved.
Witnesses reported that when the agitated villagers tried to enter the factory, they clashed with another group.
Some onlookers mentioned that the area was crowded and there was such chaos that passengers stuck in traffic jams even got out of their buses and entered the factory.
According to a witness, a clash erupted in the evening when one procession arrived from Rupshi Intersection and another approached from the opposite direction.
There were also reports of gunfire.
Chand Mia Sheikh, waiting at the factory gate with his brother's photo and ID card, said his brother Hakim Sheikh, who had been missing since the evening of Aug 25, was last seen near the factory during the violence.
Chaan Mia said, "Hakim was heading home when he saw the fighting at the Gazi tyre factory gate. There was heavy fighting, and then gunshots. In the confusion, my brother and others ran inside the factory. Shortly after, a group set the building on fire."
Driver Milon, who gave a single name, said: “That evening [Sunday evening], two processions arrived in front of the factory one after the other. The main clash took place between the people from those two processions.”
When asked if he recognised those in the processions, he replied: “I have heard they are connected to BNP leaders, but I do not know all of them.”
There was nothing left in the factory compound.
A crowd had gathered at the gate, many searching for missing relatives. Amidst the crowd, street vendors were selling snack items.
Inside the main gate, there was a one-story building with a collapsed roof. To the left, the main six-story factory building continued to emit smoke.
Fire Service personnel, using a ladder truck, were spraying water on the sixth floor.
Inside the factory, three employees of Gazi Group were seated at a table behind a row of burnt trucks. Abdus Samad, one of them, said: “Looting began on the 5th of August and continued until Aug 8. Everything that could be taken was taken.”
“When Gazi sir was arrested on the 25th of August, the people from the neighboring Khadun village stormed the factory. There had been a dispute between some villagers and the Gazi Group over land.”
“Earlier this year, the factory had purchased some land from the neighbouring village to expand its boundaries and started filling it with sand. The newly acquired land was enclosed with a tin fence," he added.
According to Samad, the second round of mass looting began on Sunday when claimants to the disputed land entered the factory to reclaim their possession.
Imam Lutfur Rahman of Khadun Uttarpara Jame Mosque said, "Before the Zuhr prayer, an announcement was made from the mosque’s loudspeaker by a group of people, calling on the 'landowners' to gather against the Gazi Group.”
“Everyone was asked to assemble at the Rupshi intersection.”
“They were told to hold a human chain against Gazi Group but were advised not to engage in looting as had happened on 5th of August.”
A local businessman from Khadun, who requested anonymity, said: “We went to reclaim the land that was ours, but now so many people have died that everyone has gone silent.”
“We don’t know where this case will lead. People are afraid to speak.”
“Even if the villagers didn’t cause the destruction, they had previously occupied around 10 acres of land. The company had bought land from one person, but others came claiming rights and started causing trouble.”
Inside the factory grounds, another employee of the Gazi tyre factory, said: “We were buying land from various villagers. Then, the problem arose when we bought land from one person, and his relatives and others claimed a share.”
“We told them to bring their papers, and we would resolve the issue. But then the government fell, and looting began immediately.”
Gazi Group officials reported that their factory, which produced tyres using rubber and various chemicals, suffered extensive damage.
The building, warehouses, vehicles, and machinery were all destroyed.
Police officers from Rupganj police station said there are no official reports on the missing persons.
They received some details from the Fire Service and are now awaiting updates from the ongoing rescue operations.
NO ACCURATE DEATH COUNT
Rozina Khatun was standing near the entrance of the Gazi Tyre factory while holding her 3-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son.
Al Amin, her husband, had entered the factory with a friend named Rakib on Sunday night. She hasn’t heard from him since.
Rozina told bdnews24.com: “I stay at home and work from home. I don’t even know the streets. I don’t know who to go to get my husband back. I don’t even know who I should seek justice from.”
“Stop crying. Abba is bringing juice,” said Rozina as she tried to pacify her weeping daughter.
Family members of Shamim, a carpenter by profession, were also waiting outside the factory premises looking for him.
Abu Hanif, the elder brother of Shamim's wife, said: "His phone has been switched off since Sunday night. We have been looking for him for days. The government or police are not saying anything. Later, his brother arrived and took some ashes from the burnt building. And I’m still here hoping we find him."
Last Monday, relatives of the victims submitted the names and addresses of their missing family members to the fire service personnel. The families were hopeful that they would be informed by the fire service in case they found their loved ones in the building.
However, fire service personnel have denied receiving the list.
Since then, members of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement have begun preparing a list of missing persons in front of the factory gate.
They are preparing the list of missing persons with their photographs and national identity cards.
So far, they have gotten the names of 125 people from the relatives of the victims, the students told reporters.
Several people are also running from hospital to hospital looking for their family members.
Parul Begum, mother of auto-rickshaw driver Al Amin, said: "I went to the burned hospital [Burn Institute] in Dhaka. There were two people there. But I couldn’t find my son.”
Sajeda Akhter was looking for her younger brother Nahid, who worked at a battery factory nearby.
Her brother went missing after he went to the factory on Sunday night with his friend Amatullah.
Hajera Begum told bdnews24.com that she last spoke to her brother on the phone around 10:30pm on Sunday night.
On the phone call, her brother told her that they were trapped inside the factory, and pleaded with the family members to rescue them.
Upon receiving the news, the family members reached the factory site and saw that the entire building was on fire. Since then, some of the family members have been sitting in front of the main entrance to the factory.
