The High Court (HC) on Wednesday ordered the formation of a committee headed by a professor of Chemical Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) to investigate the depot fire at Sitakunda in Chattogram. The court asked the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources to form the committee with other experts. The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after hearing of a writ petition. The committee will submit their report by three months, it said. The court also issued a rule questioning why the deceased's family and injured victims of the depot fire should not be paid adequate compensation. In another rule, the HC wanted to know why the negligence of the authorities concerned should not be declared illegal and legal action will not be taken against the culprits through proper investigation of the depot fire. The rule also sought explanation as to why instructions should not be given to designate places for chemical storage and show the quantity of chemicals and type of chemicals to be stored in the depot. Read: Probe body finds owners, monitoring authority responsible for Sitakunda depot fire At the same time, the court also asked why the fire service authority was not provided with modern equipment. Home Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief Secretary, Industries Secretary, Commerce Secretary, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Chittagong Port Authority Chairman, Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram, Chairman and Managing Director of Smart Group, BM Container Depot were made respondents to the rule. On June 29, Supreme Court Lawyer Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab, Barrister Mohammad Kawsar, Barrister Mohammad Majeedul Quader and AKM Faisal Haque filed the writ petition on behalf of ‘Law and Life Foundation’ and ‘CCB Foundation’. The writ petition sought necessary directives to pay compensation of Tk 2 crore to each deceased's family and Tk 50 lakh to each injured victim of the depot fire. The formation of an inquiry committee comprising of explosives experts, proper action against the culprits were also sought in the writ petition. As per the writ petition, at least 51 people were killed in a fire at BM container depot in Chattogram’s Sitakunda on June 4. The deceased included 10 firefighters. Over 200 people were injured in the fire. Besides, firefighters were unable to control fire caused by chemical due to lack of necessary training and modern equipment, it said. Earlier, the Law and Life Foundation Trust and the CCB Foundation had served separate legal notices seeking compensation for the victims, said Barrister Pallab.

The committee formed to probe Sitakunda container depot fire has found depot owners and government monitoring  authority resposnsible for the horrific fire incident that has claimed 51 lives. The fire originated from chemical hydrogen peroxide stored in some containers at BM container depot, says the probe report. Additional Divisional Commissioner (development) Md Mizanur Rahman submitted the report to Chattogram divisional commissioner Md Ashraf Uddin Wednesday afternoon, a month and two days after the fire incident. The container containing hydrogen peroxide at the BM depot did not have a United Nations (UN) certificate, it said. Some of the 28 containers were left in the depot for 40 days as the shipping agent delayed the shipment four times. One of the reasons  of  the fire was that the hydrogen peroxide containers were left for a long time at the depot after those were filled, the report said. Read:Human remains recovered from BM container depot site The committee made 20 specific recommendations in their report regarding fire control at inland container depots, said probe committee convener Mizanur Rahman. The first of the 20 specific recommendations made in the probe is the revision of the 1995 Private Container Depot (Off Dock) Policy. In order to operate a depot, licenses or clearances of 25 government agencies are required. The report has been prepared on three factors, including investigating the causes of the horrific explosions and fire at the depot, determining responsibilities and making recommendations on what to do to prevent such accidents. The investigation took the testimony of 24 people including five officers and employees of BM Depot. Besides, BM Depot Managing Director Mostafizur Rahman and Director Mujibur Rahman were also questioned, said Mizanur. He said the report was prepared based on the reports of the Port Authority, Customs, Fire Service and Civil Defense, Explosives Department, Environment Department, Labor Department and Shipping Department. Besides, 18 samples of different chemicals were tested in the labs of Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Dhaka, Environment Department in Chattogram and Chattogram University. The reports of these testing have also been included in the probe report. Police on Wednesday recovered the remains of another body from the shade of BM container depot in Sitakunda, one month after the devastating fire incident. Read:Sitakunda depot fire: Writ petition seeks Tk 2 crore compensation for each deceased’s family With the recovery of the skull and bones the death toll from the massive inferno rose to 51. Fifty were killed and over 200 injured in a fire and subsequent blasts at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda of Chattogram on June 4. Ten firefighters died in the incident. It is said to be the ‘largest death figure’ the fire service has seen in a single incident.

Police on Monday recovered human remains from inside the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda, eight days after the deadly fire there, authorities said. A bone with flesh of a human being was recovered from the depot around 4 pm while removing the containers, said Sumon Banik, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Sitakunda Police Station. The human remains were sent to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for DNA test, he said. Also read: Sitakunda depot fire: Death toll rises to 47 as another victim dies Besides, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SCOP) on Monday demanded justice after identifying those responsible for the fire and blasts at Sitakunda Depot. “We also want shifting of all depots from the port city and residential area,” said Coordinator of SCOP Tapan Datta while speaking at a press briefing at Chattogram Press Club. The death toll from BM Container Depot fire rose to 47 as two injured victims died at a private hospital in Chattogram and at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Sunday. So far, 10 firefighters have died in the incident. It is said to be the ‘largest death figure’ the fire service has seen in a single incident. Also read: 10 DVR machines recovered from BM container depot On June 4, a fire and subsequent blasts at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda of Chattogram left over 200 people injured.

BNP standing committee has blamed the government’s negligence and incapability for the deadly fire at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda. “Our meeting thinks the government's negligence, lack of coordination and incompetence are responsible for the horrific accident at BM Container Depot in Sitakunda,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday. Also read: BNP demands cancellation of gas price hike, announces three-day protest Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office on the outcomes of a virtual meeting of BNP standing committee members held on Monday night, he also said all-pervasive corruption, lack of accountability and incapability of the government have resulted in so many deaths and colossal damage. The BNP leader said there are some rules and regulations and monitoring authorities to prevent such incidents and accidents. “Unfortunately, no one monitors these. Those who have the responsibility to ensure coordination and take the official concerned to the task are not properly discharging their duties. That is why these accidents are happening." Since the government has no accountability to people and the parliament, he said the government-backed officials and the different authorities concerned are working as per their wish without being accountable to the government. "The state is not functioning and its various institutions are not working. I often say that it has become a failed state. Because the state is not functioning, the machinery is not functioning and no one is accountable for what they are doing. That is why this situation has now been created.” He said a government having accountability to people is now necessary to get Bangladesh back on the right track. Fakhrul said the BNP standing committee meeting demanded the immediate formation of an investigation committee comprising neutral experts from the relevant field to unearth the main reasons behind the fire incident and identify those responsible for it. He also called upon the government to bring the culprits to be identified by the investigation to justice and ensure adequate compensation for the family members of those killed and injured.  Referring to the report on the non-renewal of the BM Container Depot license, the BNP leader said the murder charges should be brought against its owners. Fakhrul said the standing committee entrusted its member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury with the responsibility to stand by the families of the victims and the injured in the blaze. Also read:BNP demands neutral probe into Sitakunda fire Restoration of Odhikar’s registration He said the standing committee strongly condemned and protested the cancellation of the registration of rights body 'Odhikar' by the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Prime Minister’s Office. "The meeting believes that  such move by the government will hamper the efforts of non-governmental organisations to protect human rights. The government's tendency to violate human rights will also increase and the incidents of enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, extrajudicial killings, violence against women and children, and human rights violations against religious minorities will also rise,” the BNP leader said. He demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision to cancel the registration of Odhikar. False campaign against Zia, Tarique Fakhrul alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy spread lies by giving a post on social media with a ‘fabricated’ quote from former president Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem's book titled ‘At Bangabhaban: Last Phase’. He also slammed Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Qauder for his comment that BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is a foreign national for allegedly taking foreign citizenship. “Tarique Rahman is a Bangladeshi citizen by birth and has not applied for citizenship of any other country…Mr Quader's statement is completely baseless, fabricated and motivated with low political purposes,” Fakhrul said. He said Quader should withdraw his false statement and apolozise to the nation.

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud on Monday said the government is investigating whether the Sitakunda fire is a real accident or sabotage to overshadow the inauguration ceremony of the much-awaited Padma Bridge. “You all know that ill-attempts continued to create anarchy in the country after the announcement of the inauguration of the Padma Bridge. In some places, anarchy has been created. We need to investigate whether there was any sabotage in the deadly fire incident in Sitakunda,” he said.    The minister made the remarks while briefing journalists after visiting the injured at Chattogram Medical College Hospital in the evening.  Also Read: BNP made journalists ‘labourers’: Hasan Mahmud Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) director Brig Gen Shamim Ahsan, principal Dr. Shahena Akter, Chattogram zilla parishad administrator and  Chattogram North Awami League president MA Salam, Chattogram South Awami League general secretary Mafizur Rahman, Sitakunda upazila chairman SM Al Mamun, among others, were present. Hasan Mahmud said, “Some media reported that the owner of this depot is an Awami League leader. The fact is Awami League leader Mujibur Rahman has only five percent ownership in the depot. Those who didn’t tell the 95 percent ownership and tried to make this the depot of an Awami League man, are not right. They did false journalism.” Describing Awami League men’s effort to help the fire victims, the senior leader of the party said, “Awami League leaders and activists extended their helping hand as party president has directed to do this. Our men still are working on the spot.” He also thanked civil administration, government, and private hospitals for their immediate response to the devastating fire incident.     

Parliament on Sunday unanimously adopted a condolence motion expressing profound grief at the demise of eight former lawmakers, including ex-finance minister AMA Muhith, as well as those who died in the Sitakunda depot fire and some noted personalities. The seven other ex-lawmakers Zubed Ali (Netrakona), former state minister for water resources advocate Gautam Chakroborty (Tangail), BM Nazrul Islam (Satkhira), Shah Jikrul Ahmad (Brahmanbaria-5), Prof Dr Khandaker Abdul Jalil (Shariatpur) and Ashika Akbar (Tangail). Also read: JS selects 5-member panel of chairpersons Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury moved the motion in the House in the beginning of the session. A one-minute silence was observed and a munajat offered seeking eternal peace for the departed souls.