Families of victims, survivors and labour groups on Monday commemorated the 13th anniversary of the Tazreen Fashion factory fire in Ashulia, renewing demands for long-delayed justice, full compensation and rehabilitation for those affected in the fire.
Hundreds of workers and the victims’ relatives gathered in the early morning at the abandoned Tuba Group-owned factory in Ashulia’s Nishchintapur area, where a fire on November 24, 2012 killed at least 117 garment workers and injured more than 200.
The charred building, left derelict for years, now stands as what activists describe as a stark reminder of systemic failures in workplace safety across the industry.
Participants paid floral wreaths at the factory gate, offered prayers and observed a minute of silence before forming a human chain.
Addressing the human chain, speakers called for ‘life-equivalent’ compensation, accountability and setting up of a specialised hospital for the victims demolishing the charred building.
Ayesha Khatun, who received critical burn injury in the blaze said, ‘Thirteen years have passed, but there has been no justice.’
‘Families of the deceased are living in hardship, and many injured workers remain disabled. We want this building demolished and replaced with a rehabilitation centre or a hospital for workers’, she said.
Khairul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre, alleged factory owner Delwar Hossain responsible for the tragedy.
He said successive governments had failed to ensure proper treatment, rehabilitation or compensation, and had not pursued accountability.
‘Instead of ensuring justice, the previous government rewarded Delwar with political posts’, he said, alleging that the current government continued giving assurances rather than implementation agenda.
Speakers at the human chain also demanded death penalty for Delwar.
A police case was filed the day after the incident, but court proceedings have been dragging on for more than a decade with no verdict delivered.
According to a charge sheet submitted on December 2, 2013, Delwar and his wife, Mahmuda Akhter, constructed the factory with a faulty plan and illegally converted the ground-floor walkway into a warehouse, severely compromising fire safety.
Police said the factory had no functional fire exits, violating labour laws that require at least two emergency exits in every industrial building, leaving workers trapped when the blaze erupted.
Survivors and families held a series of commemorative events outside the weather-stained, partially collapsed structure, saying the unresolved case continues to symbolise the garment sector’s enduring struggle with safety reforms and justice for its workforce.