Published :
29 Apr 2013, 06:14 PM
Updated :
20 Oct 2022, 03:36 PM
Rapid Action Battalion arrests Mohammad Sohel Rana, owner of collapsed multistory commercial bloc Rana Plaza in Savar, from Benapole and brings him to its headquarters in Dhaka on Sunday.
Hasina, the party chief, visited the site of the collapsed Rana Plaza and the injured at Enam Medical College and Hospital on Monday.
Murad has been facing media criticism for allegedly patronising Mohammad Sohel Rana, the owner of the nine-storey commercial building that crumbled, killing at least 381 people.
The Prime Minster went to the tragedy site in the morning to see the rescue operation, talked to the people there and inquired about the rescue work.
She first visited the private Enam Medical College and Hospital where a large number of building collapse victims are undergoing treatment.
Murad was present in front of the hospital before the Prime Minister arrived and once she entered the hospital, the security personnel prevented Murad from entering the facility.
After staying some time outside the hospital, Murad went to the site of Rana Plaza at Savar Bus Stand.
Though he was with central Awami League leaders at the site, party chief Hasina avoided even eye contact with him.
After Hasina got down from her car, Major General Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy of Bangladesh Army's 9th Infantry Division introduced her to the officers of the Army and the Fire Service and Civil Defence, who are taking part in the rescue operation in the collapsed building.
At that time, Murad positioned himself behind the army officials standing in queues.
Seeing Murad there, an official of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) asked another officer: “How did he get in there?”
As the officials were talking loudly, Murad left the place and stood with the local Awami League leaders.
When the Prime Minister was inquiring about the rescue efforts standing on the road opposite to the Rana Plaza, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, State Minister for Local Government Jahangir Kabir Nanak, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku and Dhaka district Awami League President Hasina Doula accompanied her.
As Murad stood behind the central party leaders, Hasina was seen turning her head sharply after catching a glimpse of Murad.
When the Prime Minister went to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) to see the injured there, the Awami League MP also followed the Prime Minister’s entourage. But he was again intercepted at the hospital and had to leave the place after trudging some time at the hospital balcony.
Owner of the the building Rana, reportedly a Senior Joint Convenor of Awami League’s youth front Juba League’s Savar municipality unit, is being blamed for the collapse of the massive structure.
Relatives of the victims took out a protest procession in the city demanding Rana’s execution and punishment to the MP for patronising him, an allegation Murad has been refuting.
Rapid Action Battalion arrests Mohammad Sohel Rana, owner of collapsed multistory commercial bloc Rana Plaza in Savar, from Benapole and brings him to its headquarters in Dhaka on Sunday.
Rapid Action Battalion arrests Mohammad Sohel Rana, owner of collapsed multistory commercial bloc Rana Plaza in Savar, from Benapole and brings him to its headquarters in Dhaka on Sunday.
Though the lawmaker denied his links with Rana, a large number of old posters and festoons in which Rana and Murad’s photos are printed next to each other are seen throughout Savar. Rana is mentioned in the posters as a Senior Joint Convenor of Savar Municipality Juba League.
Hours after several cracks developed in the pillars of the building on Apr 23 Rana had allegedly claimed that they were ‘nothing serious’.
Many survivors alleged that the owners of their factories housed there forced them into work on Apr 24 morning against their will.
Rana was trapped in a corner of the basement but managed to escape unhurt and was taken away allegedly by the local MP.
RAB arrested Rana on the Benapole frontiers on Sunday afternoon, four days after the worst-ever industrial disaster struck the country.
Savar people seeking anonymity alleged that Rana was operating a drug-peddling syndicate in the area under the patronage of Murad.
They claimed that the basement of the building was the storehouse of Phensidyl -- a banned cough syrup.
Savar Awami League leader and former municipal Chairman Ashrafuddin Khan Imu told bdnews24.com that Rana got into drug trade during the 2001-6 BNP-led government with the support of his father-in-law, who at the time was the Convenor of Savar municipal unit of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of BNP.
Several local Awami League leaders said Rana got close to Murad in 2009.
One leader told bdnews24.com that Rana was responsible for ‘supplying people’ to all the programmes of Murad. “That’s why the MP was supporting his all acts.”
Murad, the son of first MP in Savar constituency Anwar Jung, was elected lawmaker in 2008 national polls for the first time.
Locals said Rana made his fortune in a few years with the patronisation of Murad.
Apart from Rana Plaza, constructed on 56 decimals of land, he has another building on Savar Bazar Road.
