Rana's four aides sent to jail on surrender

A Dhaka court yesterday rejected bail and sent four accomplices of Sohel Rana to jail after their surrender before it in connection with a murder case filed over the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar in April 2013.

The accused are: Ataur Rahman, Abdus Salam, Biddut Miah and Aminul Islam.

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They have been charged with pressurising garment workers to join work even though the building was risky. They had also threatened the workers to join work or face dismissal, according to the charge sheet.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Al Amin passed the order after they surrendered before the court seeking bail.

Earlier on December 21, the same court took cognisance of the murder charges against Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana and 40 others.

The court also issued arrest warrants against 24 fugitives that include the four government officials.

At least 1,136 people, mostly garment workers, were killed and thousands injured in the building collapse that evoked bitter global criticism of the standard of labour and human rights in Bangladesh.

More than two years after the disaster, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on June 1 pressed murder charges against 41 people, including Rana, for their alleged role in the incident.

The accused also include Rana's parents, owners of four factories, the then mayor of Savar municipality and 14 government officials.