C T Online Desk: A Chittagong court on Wednesday sentenced eight officials to seven years imprisonment for their roles in the collapse of an under-construction flyover that resulted in the deaths of 13 people in Chittagong’s Bahaddarhat area in 2012.
The sentences were handed down under two separate sections of the law for negligence leading to death.
The verdict was delivered by Chittagong’s Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Shariful Alam Bhunya, said bench assistant Omar Fuad.
The convicted officials are identified as Giyas Uddin (then project manager), Manjurul Islam, Abdul Jalil, Aminur Rahman, Abdul Hai, Md Mosharraf Hossain Riaz, Shahjan Ali (quality control engineer), and Rafiqul Islam.
Omar Fuad said that under Section 334(A) of the Penal Code, each of the eight accused has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of Tk3 lakh, and an additional six months imprisonment if the fine is not paid.
Additionally, under Section 338 of the Penal Code, each has received a further two years of rigorous imprisonment. The court ordered that these sentences be served consecutively.
The collapse occurred on the evening of November 24, 2012, when three girders of the flyover collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring over 50 others. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was overseeing the construction of the flyover, with Abdus Salam, now a member of parliament, serving as the chairman at the time.
Following the incident, a case was registered at the Chandgaon police station on November 26, filed by then-sub-inspector Abul Kalam Azad.
