Murder charges over factory collapse
The charges were filed against 41 people, including the building’s owner, Sohel Rana, his parents, and more than a dozen government officials, for their direct role in the deaths of 1,137 people in the collapse of Rana Plaza, said the lead investigator, Bijoy Krishna Kar of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Investigators had initially said the accused, who also include the owners of the five factories that the building housed, would be charged with culpable homicide, but they later changed their plans due to the gravity of the accident, Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster.
If convicted of murder, the defendants may face the death penalty. The maximum punishment for culpable homicide is seven years in jail.
Investigators said the shift from the culpable homicide charges came after the investigation found Rana, his staff and the management of the five factories had forced the workers to enter the building despite their unwillingness to work on the day of the accident after the building developed major cracks a day earlier. The police report called the deaths a “mass killing”. About 2,500 people were injured.
