Sadarghat launch accident: Five placed on remand

A Dhaka court has placed five people on three-day remand in a case filed in connection with the collision of three launches at Sadarghat that killed five people.

The court of Dhaka Judicial Magistrate Arifa Chowdhury Himel passed the remand order after the hearing in the case on Friday (April 12).

The remanded accused are two masters and a manager of launch MV Farhan-6 and two masters of MV Tasrif-4. The four masters are Abdur Rauf Howlader, 54; Salim Howlader, 54; Mizanur Rahman, 48; and Moniruzzaman, 24 and manager Farooq Khan, 76.

Earlier, sub-inspector of Sadarghat thana of River Police SI Naqib, also the investigating officer of the case, produced the accused before the court with seven-day remand prayer.

Accused’s lawyers filed bail petition seeking cancellation of remand which was opposed by the state.

Hearing from both the sides, the court placed the accused on three-day remand each.

Earlier, Joint Director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Ismail Hossain filed a case as the plaintiff on Thursday midnight, accusing five people. Following the case, the naval police arrested the five people.

On Thursday, five people died after the rope of the launch broke and fell down at Sadarghat. Among them are a child and a woman. Five more people were injured in this incident.

Passenger launches MV Pubali-1 and MV Tasrif-4 were tied to the pontoon with wire ropes. At one stage, the rope of MV Tasrif-4 broke into pieces and hit the passengers after another launch, MV Farhan-6, tried to anchor in between the two launches.