8 gets 7 years in jail in Bahaddarhat flyover girder collapse case

A Chattogram court has sentenced eight people to seven years imprisonment in a case filed over the collapse of Bahaddarhat flyover girders in 2012.

The convicts also fined Tk300,000 each, in default of which they will have to serve six additional months in jail.

Chattogram's 4th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shariful Alam Bhuiyan pronounced the verdict on Wednesday after scrutinising all the records and evidence of the case.

The convicts are--project managers Gias Uddin and Manjurul Islam; quality control engineers Shahjahan Ali and Rafiqul Islam; and Abdul Jalil, Aminur Rahman, Abdul Hai and Mosharraf Hossain. All of them were employees of the flyover construction contractor Mir Akhter-Parisa, a joint venture company.

On November 24, 2012, three girders of the under-construction flyover collapsed on an adjacent kitchen market, leaving 13 people dead and injuring many others.

On November 26, police filed a case with Chandgaon Police Station accusing 25 people, including CDA Chairman Abdus Salam, executive engineer Habibur Rahman, assistant engineer Tanjib Hossain, deputy assistant engineer Salauddin Ahmed.

Later, the CDA high ups and officials of the advisory organisation were acquitted in the charge sheet.

On October 24, 2013, SM Shahidul Islam, inspector (investigation) of Chandgaon Police Station and also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet accusing the convicts.