Talla area of Ward No. 11 of City Corporation is about two and a half kilometers away from the heart of Narayanganj Chashadha. From the microphone of the Talla Bara Mosque here on Sunday morning, residents were called to come to the mosque to participate in the funeral.
A railway line separates Ward 11 from Fatulla Union. 37 people were burnt in a terrible fire while offering prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Masjid in West Talla, Ward No. 9 of Fatullah, near Talla Bara Mosque on Friday night. 26 of them died till yesterday. As the death toll increased, the mourning and outcry was increasing in West Talla.
All the noise of life has stopped there. The cries of the bereaved from house to house. Many are stunned by the loss of their neighbors. However, those involved say that this tragic and unfortunate accident could have been avoided. So many people died prematurely due to negligence and carelessness. Locals say, it is not an accident, but a negligent 'murder'.
Samakal's investigation has revealed that the illegal business in the name of Titus in Talla is a local contractor Deen Mohammad Molla alias Dilip and his associate Shamchul. In the meantime, Dileep has covered up.
Those responsible : Beside the walls of Baytus Salat Jame Masjid is a small grocery store called 'Bismillah'. Yesterday, I spoke with the owner of the open-air shop, Shatordhava Bazlur Rahman. On the night of the incident, he offered Isha prayer in that mosque. Bazlur Rahman said, after reading the Sunnah, he came out of the mosque and sat in the shop. There were 70-80 worshipers in the prayer. He came out half circumcised. Immediately after sitting in the shop after prayer, he heard a loud noise. The sound lasted three to four seconds. After closing the shop, he ran towards the mosque and saw the fire inside. Devotees are running here and there.
Bazlur Rahman said, 'I pray regularly in this mosque. For many days, I used to smell gas when I went to pray. Gas also bubbled up through the gaps in the tiles. No one took this problem seriously. This is the reason for this tragic outcome. Luckily I survived but we lost so many familiar people.'
Local Mubarak Hossain told Samakal that the mosque is in a low place. If it rains a little more, water comes inside. There was a gas smell before but recently it got worse. More than a year ago, six ACs of the General Company were installed in the mosque.
Baitus Salat Jame Masjid committee president Abdul Ghafoor told Samakal that two gas lines have gone near the mosque. One old line and one new. The new line will also be more than 10 years old. After the arrival of the new line, many house owners in the area are getting gas connection to their homes from the new main line, excluding the old line. Many people have taken gas connection to their homes from the new line adjacent to the mosque. And the old line may not have been closed properly. So for a long time, gas leaked from the old line and started coming inside the mosque under the tiles.
Titus, secretary of the mosque committee, contacted the authorities to resolve this problem. A bribe of Tk 50,000 was demanded from there. So much money was not in the fund of the mosque. A small amount of money could have been used to solve the gas leakage problem quickly. The accident happened before collecting 50 thousand rupees. In response to a question, the president said, I know that the two lines bordering the mosque are valid. But some say, a line is invalid. Not sure about its authenticity. However, according to many locals, the mosque committee is also responsible for this incident. They could have played a stronger role in solving this long-standing problem. A statement or human chain could also be made to protest the demand for bribe.
Titus gas means Dileep in Talla : Several house owners of Talla said that gas connection has been stopped in their houses for many years, but gas connection is being provided illegally to many new houses built in Talla. Without a riser, it is seen that many houses are dangerously connected to the main line. According to the locals, Deen Mohammad Molla alias Dilip, son of Shahabuddin Molla of West Talla, is behind all legal and illegal gas connections in the entire Talla area. However, his hand is more seasoned in illegal than legal work. Locally he is known as 'Gas Dilip'. People know him as Titus's 'contractor' or 'broker'.
When he went to his house in West Talla to inquire about Dilip, his wife said that he was in Fatulla. Then there was a talk with Dilip's brother Shahabuddin. He said that his brother has another house. He lives there with his second wife. Dileep can live in that house. Dilip was not found even when he went to that house. Even after calling his mobile number, he did not receive. At one point his mobile was switched off.
Several local house owners, who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation, said that if someone wants to take illegal gas lines, they first make an agreement with Dilip. After connecting the line, he came 2-3 times a year and collected money from each house. Later, the share of that money was delivered to the dishonest officials of Titus. Shamchul helped Dilip in this work.
Gas accident : Investigators believe that the cause of the terrible accident in the mosque was the start of the fire caused by the spark of the electric line with the accumulated gas from the leak line of Titus. Methane gas was found inside the mosque. The AC of the mosque did not explode. If the AC exploded, it would have been shattered. A fire service team yesterday examined the power lines from all ACs and transmitters in the mosque to investigate the cause of the accident.
If asked, Director General of Fire Service Brigadier General Md. Sajjad Hossain told Samakal that even after the accident, there was 17-18 percent gas inside the mosque that night. That gas is removed with spoke ejectors. The gas leakage was also stopped that night. The evidence available so far points to gas accumulation from the Titus line as the cause of the fire. Two power lines in the mosque. Power suddenly goes out on a line. Then it may have been switched on to receive power from another line. Then there is a spark for some reason. Usually a spark causes a huge scar on the electrical switch board. We found that spot of spark on the electrical board of the mosque.
He also said that when a gas fire occurs, the fire usually doesn't cause a lot of black marks. Even though there was such a great destruction in the mosque, it is said that there is no black wound. As long as there was gas, the fire burned. The upper part of the AC was burnt due to the heat of the fire.
Bomb disposal team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police visited the spot to find out the cause of the fire. Additional Superintendent of Police Rahmat Ullah Chowdhury, the head of that team, said that the entire mosque became a gas chamber due to the accumulation of gas from the Titas line. The accident happened after the fire came into contact with the gas. Earlier, such terrible gas accidents were seen in many places including Dhaka, Mymensingh.
The case alleges negligent homicide : The police filed a case as plaintiff in the mosque blast incident. It is said in the statement that this terrible explosion and casualties occurred due to negligence. SI Humayun Kabir filed the case at Fatulla Model Police Station. In the case, unknown persons are mentioned as responsible. Titus Gas Authority, DPDC, those associated with the construction of the building and the mosque committee may be held responsible for the negligence, it has been pointed out.
According to the police, 5 agencies have formed a separate investigation committee so far in this incident. Those who will be found guilty in the investigation report prepared by various government institutions will be accused in this case. They will be brought under the law in this case.
Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Zayedul Alam said that according to the police investigation, initially it seems that the gas was accumulated there from the Titas gas line. Therefore, a case of murder was filed on the charge of negligent death. The negligence of the concerned will be more clear in the investigation.
Guardianless town : That area of West Talla belongs to Fatulla Union bordering Narayanganj City Corporation. Due to litigation related complications, elections are not being held in this Union Parishad of Narayanganj Sadar Upazila for 28 years. The last union council election was held in 1992. Union residents are deprived of all civil rights including benefits. There is no end to the suffering of the local people due to the absence of elected representatives. The local chairman and UP members filed two cases in the High Court in 1996 for and against the union with their own people to achieve their own interests. As the case is not settled, the election is still not possible. One side wants the area to remain a union. Another party wants it to be included in the city corporation. Due to such rivalry, the development of the area is also being disrupted. Most of the roads in the area are unpaved. Most of the lower class, lower middle class people live there.
Suffering due to lack of gas connection : Gas connection has been disconnected in Talla area since the accident till yesterday. Hundreds of people have suffered. Shahnaz Begum, the housewife of the house adjacent to the mosque, said that since there was no gas after the accident, they were making ends meet by cooking with wood in the clay oven. Electricity is coming and going again. Another resident of the area, Liza Begum, said that if there is an illegal line in someone's house, it should be identified and isolated. Those with valid lines need to be connected quickly.
An autorickshaw driver lives in a tin shed house in West Talla area. sujan He said that the owner of the house, Mujibar Mia, brought gas to their house by drawing a connection from the main line.
The clock was ticking : It can be seen on the surface, there are burnt clothes and ashes scattered inside the mosque. Someone's sandals were also falling. Ceiling fan blades are bent. The clock on the wall next to where the imam stood to pray was running fine. Looking at the sound of the clock, who can tell what terrible accident happened inside the mosque two days ago. Both the imam and the muezzin of the mosque died in the accident.
Policemen have closed the main gate of the mosque. The eager crowd and some of the bereaved were watching the scene inside the mosque from outside the window. Md. Alamgir Hossain was standing with open eyes holding the iron grill of the mosque window. He said that he lost his two nephews Zubair and Sabbir in the accident. The three brothers were praying together. Younger nephew Yashin Farz escaped with his life after performing the obligatory prayer.
