High Court forms expert committee to probe Bailey Road fire
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Committee headed by the secretary of the home ministry
The High Court on Monday formed an expert committee to investigate the fire incident at the Green Cozy Cottage building in the capital's Bailey Road on Thursday night, which killed 46 people.
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The committee will be headed by the secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The probe committee also includes the inspector general of police (IGP), representatives from Fire Service And Civil Defence, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), and Dhaka city corporations.
The High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque passed the order.
At the same time, the High Court expressed its displeasure with the fire-fighting system of restaurants in Dhaka.
On Sunday, Advocate Ishrat Jahan filed a writ petition seeking directives to set up a probe committee to find out the defaulters of the tragic incident.
At the same time, the writ sought instructions to submit the report of the inquiry committee formed by the government to the court.
Also, Lawyer Eunus Ali filed a petition on Sunday seeking the directives of the High Court to close restaurants and business operations in all the residential buildings in Dhaka.
The writ also sought the arrest of the culprits who were responsible for the fire at the Green Cozy Cottage building and compensation to the victims' families.
At least four people have been arrested in connection with the fire in Bailey Road’s Green Cozy Cottage, that claimed the lives of 46 people.
Over 20 others sustained severe injuries in the incident that took place on Thursday night.
Firefighters rescued 70 people, including 42 in an unconscious state, from the rooftop and different floors of the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage.
Most of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation, said firefighters who brought the fire under control around 12:30am.
Fire officials say the blaze spread fast due to the presence of gas cylinders on several floors in the restaurant kitchens. People could not leave the building due to smoke in the staircase.