Rana Plaza owner charged with murder over 2013 factory collapse

Bangladeshi police has charged over 40 people – including the factory’s owner – with murder, over the 2013 disaster where more than a thousand garment workers lost their lives.

Sohel Rana, the owner of the sadly known building that collapsed in April 2013 and left over 1,100 people dead, has been charged along with his family and more than a dozen government officials.

If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Bijoy Krishna Kar, lead investigator for the Bangladeshi police told AFP, “We are going to press murder charges against 41 people including the owners of the building, Sohel Rana and his parents, later today. It was a mass killing. All 41 of those charged have a collective responsibility for the tragedy.”

Kar added that the owner, who tried to flee the country soon after the incident, has a huge responsibility, as days before the accident workers had already noticed cracks in the wall. When such details emerged, investigators changed the charges from ‘culpable homicide’ to murder.

“They discussed and decided to keep the factory open. They sent the workers to their deaths with cool heads,” Kar said.

The Rana Plaza factory collapse is the worst disaster of its kind ever happened and led to major debate around poor work and safety conditions of people in the garment sector overseas. Many large brands, including Gap, Primark, Lidl and H&M, came under scrutiny after the tragedy and faced calls for greater transparency in their supply chains.

Despite global outrage, most of the 2,500 people that were left injured did not received adequate compensation through the dedicated Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund.

Photo: rijans via Flickr

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Further reading:

Matalan criticised for refusing to donate to Rana Plaza compensation fund

On this day in 2013: Rana Plaza disaster kills 1,138 Bangladeshi garment workers

Fashion Revolution Day to promote supply chain issues on Rana Plaza anniversary

Employers agree on a 77% wage increase for Bangladesh factory workers

Compensate Bangladesh factory collapse victims, demand campaigners