2023 Siddikbazar tragedy: Two building owners, one trader chargesheeted
Hearing on acceptance of chargesheet awaits at Dhaka court
Highlights:
- Chargesheet submitted against three accused on Dec 21 last year
- A Dhaka court transfers the case to another court for trial
- Hearing on acceptance of chargesheet awaits at Dhaka court
- All accused now out of jail on bail
Today [7 March] marks the third anniversary of Gulistan's Siddikbazar tragedy that left 25 people dead and several others injured in a horrifying blast on the North-South road in the seven-storey Queen's Sanitary Market.
Of them, 22 people were killed on the spot and three others died later while undergoing treatment at hospitals. The deceased included the market's traders, buyers, and pedestrians in front of the facility during the explosion that occurred around 4:35pm on 7 March in 2023, according to the Fire Service.
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Two days after the incident, a case was filed with the Bangshal police station over deaths caused by negligence. Later, police arrested two building owners and a trader. However, the trio is now out of jail on bail.
On 21 December last year, SM Raisul Islam, investigation officer of the case and also inspector of the Bomb Disposal Unit under the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, submitted a chargesheet accusing the trio, including the building owners.
The accused are two brothers, Wahidur Rahman and Matiur Rahman, owners of the building, and businessman Abdul Motaleb Mintu.
According to the chargesheet, investigators found no evidence of chemical substances or explosives at the scene, as experts, including members from the Bomb Disposal unit, inspected the site after the explosion and concluded that it was most likely caused by accumulated gas.
Later, that assessment was widely circulated in both local and international media.
However, the detailed investigation later uncovered a series of serious irregularities in the structure's construction and use.
Evidence, chemical test results, and expert opinions suggest that the building owners and tenants had unlawfully converted the basement into an air-conditioned commercial market for their own benefit.
Investigators believe that due to negligence, poor maintenance, and illegal structural modifications, gas accumulated in the basement area.
The chargesheet also revealed that the basement area once housed a restaurant "Cafe Queen," which operated with a commercial gas connection. Over time, the space was reconstructed and redesigned with interior decorations to convert it into a market.
Authorities say the building had not been constructed according to the building code. Besides, the illegally built basement was used to store and sell construction materials.
Investigators noted that the reconstructed kitchen area had serious safety flaws. There was no proper system for gas ventilation, sewage gas release, or other safety measures.
The chargesheet also pointed to the role of negligence among officials from various service-providing agencies – including gas, electricity, sewage authorities, construction regulators, and business licensing bodies.
On 20 January this year, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akter reviewed the chargesheet and ordered the case to be transferred to the Metropolitan Sessions Court for trial.
The police case is currently awaiting a hearing before the court of the Dhaka First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge regarding acceptance of the chargesheet.
Lawyers for the accused, however, have raised objections.
Speaking to The Business Standard, lawyer Md Abdul Awal, representing the building owners, said, "If charges are to be filed, they should be brought against all the owners of the building," he said. "The property was inherited from their father and has several owners. Filing a case against only two individuals would not be legally justified."
He said that many buildings in Dhaka face structural risks and described the incident as "deeply unfortunate," claiming that his clients were innocent and that the explosion was merely an accident.
Another defence lawyer, Md Anwar Hossain, representing businessman Mintu, also argued that his client had been wrongly implicated.
"The first two accused are the building owners, while Mintu is only a tenant," he said. "A tenant cannot be held responsible for construction flaws in a building."
According to the lawyer, Mintu paid Tk60 lakh in advance and rented the space for Tk50,000 per month, investing nearly Tk2 crore in sanitary goods for his business. Three of his employees also died in the explosion.
"He did not go there to harm anyone," the lawyer said. "His products were sanitary materials, not flammable substances. After the incident, he lost everything and has become financially ruined."
The lawyer also claimed that decades ago a hotel operated on the ground floor of the building. When the hotel business ended, the gas line used for the kitchen was allegedly left intact.
"Old gas could have accumulated over time and caused the explosion," he said, insisting that the tenant should not be blamed.
The explosion occurred on the first and second floors of the building near the BRTC bus counter in Siddikbazar.
