20130412 Bangladesh Medicine factory set on fire
Bangladesh Apr 12 2013 “Factories”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Medicine factory set on fire
Updated: 2013-04-13
Criminals early yesterday vandalised and set fire to a medicine factory owned by Khulna district president of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and leader of Awami League in Lokhpur area of Fakirhat upazila.
According to Baharul Alam, owner of damaged APC Pharmaceuticals, Jamaat-Shibir men had attacked the factory, a claim that the upazila unit Jamaat-e-Islami denied.
Baharul said the attack incurred him a loss of around Tk 10 crore. The miscreants had damaged 10 rooms of the factory — four storerooms, a packaging unit, a standard control unit and four office rooms, he added.
Quoting security guard Mizanur Rahman, the owner said a gang of eight to 10 criminals had entered the factory premises climbing the boundary wall around 12:30am. They had tied the security guard up and vandalised the furniture and machinery inside the factory.
Baharul, also joint secretary of district AL and vice-president of Bangladesh Medical Association, claimed that the criminals had used gun powder during arson. The fire totally ruined a huge quantity of ready medicines, raw materials and other materials.
On information, three units of fire fighters from Bagerhat and Khulna rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after a hectic effort of nearly three hours.
The owner of the factory alleged that Jamaat-Shibir men had intentionally attacked the factory, as he had long been demanding trials of war criminals.
Ali Azam, manager of the factory, filed a case with Fakirhat police accusing eight to 10 unnamed people in connection with the attack.
Official of Khulna fire service Sheikh Arifur Rahman said they were yet to ascertain whether the attackers had used gun powder.
Officer-in-Charge of Fakirhat Police Station Masudul Alam said they were investigating the violence. So far, none had been arrested.
Meanwhile, Prof Mofazzal Haider, political secretary of the upazila unit Jamaat, termed the arson and vandalism at the factory a staged drama.
Websouce:The Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/medicine-factory-set-on-fire/
Date:2013-04-13
Country:Bangladesh