16 sued over Sitakunda oxygen plant fire

A case was filed last night, implicating 16 people including three managing directors of Seema Oxygen Plant in connection with the deaths of seven employees of the plant in a massive fire in Chattogram district’s Sitakunda upazila on Saturday.

Rokeya Begum, widow of victim Abdul Quader, filed the case against the 16 people at Sitakunda Model Police Station around 11:30 pm on Monday, Tofail Ahmed, officer-in-charge of the police station confirmed. He said the investigation into the case will be launched very soon.

The accused include three MDs of the oxygen plant — Mamun Uddin, Parvez Uddin Santu and Ashraf Uddin Baffi — and Manager Abdul Aleem, plant operator in-charge Samsuzzaman Shikdar, plant operators Khurshid Alam and Selim Jahan, among others.

According to the case statement, victim Quader, who worked at the oxygen plant for around 13 years, died due to “negligence and irresponsibility” of the accused, including the owners.

At least seven people died in the fire that erupted from an explosion in Seema Oxygen Plant in the Keshabpur industrial hub of Sikakunda on Saturday. Apart from this, over 50 people sustained burn injuries in the devastating fire.

Meanwhile, the Chattogram district administration formed a seven-member probe committee to investigate the fire and asked to submit a report within five working days.