At the end of the janaza of Firefighter Nayan, who was killed by a truck while putting out the fire in the Secretariat, Home Affairs Advisor Lt. General (retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that those responsible for the death of fire service personnel must be prosecuted. He said, 'One of my workers died, it was my fault. There must be justice in this case.'
He said this to reporters after the funeral of firefighter Nayan at the premises of the headquarters of the fire service on Thursday (December 26).
Earlier in the afternoon, the body of firefighter Nayan wrapped in the national flag was brought to the fire service headquarters for funeral. Before the funeral, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury paid tribute to firefighter Nayan. He was then felicitated with state honours.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Advisor Lt. General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, we must be responsible for the failure of the death of Shwanur Zaman Nayan. Trucks shouldn't have been there while firefighters were working, yet they were. But we are already catching the truck driver. I will definitely bring him under the law.
He said, yesterday (Wednesday) our firefighter Nayan died in an accident. We all pray for his soul to rest in peace. Nayan was very young. He served in the fire service for only two years. He died in the line of duty, we all understand the plight of his parents. A few days ago, he came to Dhaka on posting from Sylhet. He was a very skilled fire fighter. So he was brought to Dhaka for the special team.
He also said, May Allah grant him paradise. Allah will grant him the status of a martyr. Nayan was the younger of the two siblings.
Why was the truck allowed to pass after the fire broke out in the important place, which killed the firefighter. When asked if it was a failure, the Home Affairs Advisor said, I would say it is a failure. Because trucks should not have been allowed to ply there. But we caught the truck driver. I will definitely bring him under the law.
Why did it take so long to put out the fire? In response to such a question, he said, we cannot say how long it will take to put out the fire. It depends on the fire. And a lot depends on the firefighter's vehicle. It also depends on the water supply. It also depends on various obstacles. Fire service people tried their best. 19 fire units worked together to bring it under control.
When asked about the origin of the fire, the adviser said, “We have formed a high power investigation committee.” If this investigation committee gives its investigation report very soon, you will know why this fire started.
Two advisers who are front-line members of the movement have posted on Facebook that it could be a conspiracy by a fascist government — do you think so? In reply, the Home Affairs Advisor said, I cannot say anything before the investigation. As we have teamed up for investigation, we will tell after the investigation.
Recently, a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs said that no one should stay in the secretariat after 5 pm. Even then, when asked how such an incident happened, he said, the incident happened around 1 am. No one was in the building at the time. All three gates of that building were locked. Each floor had its own ministry also locked. Firefighters entered by breaking a gate.
Initially, when asked if you got any source of fire, the Home Affairs Advisor said, I said one, but later it was not proved. Better said than proven. If I say something now, you will quote the Home Affairs Adviser. So I will tell after knowing the whole thing. And here there is a need for expert opinion. We are yet to know the origin of the fire.
