Who set fire to Bailey Road?

Leap Year, which occurs every four years with February having 29 days, is marked by a deeply sorrowful, tragic, and painful incident. On this day, a terrifying fire engulfed a building on Bailey Road in the capital city, claiming the lives of nearly half a hundred people.

Fires like this are not uncommon in the city of Dhaka. On June 3, 2010, a fire broke out in a chemical warehouse in the Nimtoli area of Old Dhaka, resulting in the deaths of 124 people. And within the nine years of that incident, on the night of February 20, 2019, a horrific fire in Chawkbazar, Old Dhaka, claimed the lives of nearly 80 more people. Exactly a year later, in a building named FR Tower in the capital, a devastating fire broke out, claiming the lives of 27 people within moments. More than a hundred people were injured."

The latest incident occurred on Bailey Road. According to the Fire Service, a fire broke out at around 10 PM on Thursday, February 29, at a restaurant in a building named 'Green Cozy Cottage.' The building housed several restaurants. On the last day of the week, many busy individuals took their families to restaurants to dine out. Among them was Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar from Stamford University, who always remains concerned about various environmental issues including air pollution and climate change in Dhaka city. He conducts research, writes articles, and speaks on television. He had also gone to that building to celebrate his eldest daughter's birthday. The plan was to cut the cake and celebrate her birthday there at midnight, right after the clock struck twelve. For this occasion, he took his wife and two daughters to a restaurant on the fifth floor of the building. However, they got trapped in the fire.

After the fire broke out, he posted on his Facebook wall: 'I am trapped in the fire with my family on Bailey Road. Please pray for us.' A few moments later, his status read: 'We haven't died yet. We are on the roof. May Allah help us, InshaAllah. Please pray. Don't call.' A while later, he wrote: 'Alhamdulillah. We are safe on the roof with my wife and children, along with all the women and children. The firefighters are standing by us.' His next status update read: 'Alhamdulillah. We have safely descended from the roof, but many are injured on other floors. Only Allah knows the exact count.'

However, unlike Professor Kamruzzaman, not everyone was able to evacuate with their families in such a safe condition. Those who couldn't endure the same fate have tragically succumbed to the end of their lives. The question arises: what is the culpability of these individuals? Are these deaths merely accidents or systematic acts of manslaughter?


The Fire Service stated that the fire erupted instantly due to the presence of numerous gas cylinders. The entire staircase turned into a blaze due to the presence of gas cylinders there as well. Because of this, some couldn't use the stairs to escape. Additionally, it has been informed by the Fire Service that there were no arrangements for fire extinguishing in the building.

The question is whether such restaurants were permitted to operate in this building or not. There are numerous buildings in the capital where people reside with their families, and there are hotels and restaurants in the same buildings. Even underneath or in the basements of many old residential buildings in Old Dhaka, there are warehouses storing chemicals or other combustible materials. Whose responsibility is it to inspect these establishments? How have these practices been allowed to continue year after year? Is it due to lack of manpower, equipment shortage, budget constraints, or weaknesses in the system?

After each incident, an investigation committee is formed, but the reports produced by these committees often fail to bring about significant changes. The recommendations made in these reports are frequently not implemented. Is there a lack of political will within the government to address these issues effectively? Bangladesh is often hailed as a "role model" in disaster management. If that's the case, then why did the building on Bailey Road turn into ashes and why did nearly 50 lives perish? The Fire Service did arrive promptly, didn't they?

It is Rajuk's responsibility to see or supervise whether the buildings are being built in accordance with the building construction rules or not and what kind of institutions can be housed in any building. So, will Rajuk take responsibility for the people who were killed on Bailey Road?

According to the media, the police have registered a case regarding the fire in Bailey Road. Anwarul Haque and Shafiqur Rahman, two owners of a food shop named 'Chumuk' in the building and Zainuddin Jisan, manager of another food shop named 'Kachchi Bhai', have been arrested. The question arises: are the building owners, due to their negligence, willing to take responsibility for such deaths, being prepared to face trial? Let's assume they are prosecuted. The maximum punishment is given. Even then, will those who have lost their loved ones be benefited? Will the deceased individuals return? When human life is lost, can anything fill that void?

In most multi-storied buildings in Dhaka city, there is a lack of modern fire evacuation facilities and hydrant systems. In the event of a fire, there are no efficient means of quickly evacuating from upper floors. There is no need for research to understand this. Rather, the person reading this article can explore their own building. This means that people spend huge money constructing modern multi-storied buildings, but there is no provision for the safety and security of those who will reside there.

To anyone reading this right now - you can do a little investigation to see how safe your building's electrical wiring is. How modern is the management of your home's gas line or cylinder gas? How secure, how vulnerable are your building's ACs? Summer is ahead. The use of air conditioning will increase. As a result, there may be an increase in AC-related accidents, including fires. But do you know if the AC in your own home is functioning properly?

Can the grief of a mother who has lost her child be comforted even with crore of Taka in compensation? Does anyone suffer any loss when a husband loses his wife, a wife loses her husband, a child loses their father, or a mother loses her son? Even if you were to gather all the wealth of the world, would it be equivalent to the tears of a mother who has lost her child?

The birth and death are in the hands of Allah" - will this consolation be enough for the rest of life? What responsibility does the state bear here? Will those responsible for the negligence and corruption in state institutions and buildings where deaths occurred be charged with murder? Will they be punished for the loss of human lives? No, they won't. Because similar incidents have occurred in the past. The people of the country are aware of the consequences or outcomes. Moreover, if another major incident occurs soon, the memory of the devastating fire at Bailey Road will be fade out to people's minds. Perhaps a larger event will overshadow this incident. Then, television channels will go live again, and newspapers will publish analyses. Conscious members of society will protest. They will passionately speak on television, but then what? Will the corrupt system that repeatedly leads to such incidents change? It is said that the people of the capital city, Dhaka, essentially live atop an atomic bomb, and surviving amidst such chaos, disorder, corruption, and lawlessness within this city feels like a miracle now.

Upon investigation, it can be seen that in such fire incidents, the majority of those who perish are ordinary people. Prominent figures in the country, senior leaders of political parties, law enforcement officers, or big businessmen rarely fall victim to such fires. Its implication is not that we wish for them to perish in the fire; rather, it highlights the harsh truth that in such incidents, it is the lives of ordinary people that are repeatedly lost. This is because the "extraordinary people" within society and the state maintain systems that ensure they themselves do not fall victim to such tragedies; instead, it is those individuals who will support their factories and enterprises who end up suffering. Those who will produce in their factories, whose production will drive the economy of the country. Export earnings will increase. The phrase "Made in Bangladesh" will spread far and wide across the globe.

Why did this incident happen on Bailey Road or why did such innocent people die again and again in terrible fires in different places of the country including Nimtali, Churihatta, Mogbazar, Rupganj, Sitakunda? After the Nimtali incident, the issue of stockpiling of chemicals came into discussion, why the same discussion has to be done even after 20 years? During these 20 years, what have the responsible institutions of the state done?

What safety measures are in place for storing chemicals after import across the country, including in Dhaka? How compliant are businesses with regulations? Are there any policies or guidelines in place for this purpose? Meaning, despite such incidents of negligence-related homicides occurring day after day, they are not stopping. Because after each incident, an investigation committee is formed, but the recommendations made by that committee are not implemented.

The deaths that are mere statistics for the state are emptiness and agony for the families of the deceased throughout their lives. When the sole breadwinner of a family dies, the state has never taken responsibility for the families affected by the corrupt system or vulnerability that led to the killings of those who were actually murdered.
When the sole breadwinner of a family dies due to the corrupt system or weakness of the state, has the state ever taken responsibility for the families of those who were actually murdered?

Author: Current Affairs Editor, Nexus Television.