One Struggle – An anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist initiative

Sohel Rana, owner of Rana Plaza.

by Anu Muhammad

We have witnessed the worst industrial disaster in Bangladesh, one beyond any wild calculation and more horrifying than we could even imagine. On April 24, 2013 another garment factory, Rana Plaza in Savar near the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka, suddenly turned into a mass grave. The death toll continues to climb and, rising quickly after a few hundred, has already passed 1000, many are still missing. I don’t think anybody has the capacity to capture the extent of grief, heartache, discontent, and anger this horror has created.

The collapse of this eight-storey garment factory took place only 5 months after another garment fire disaster, Tazreen Fashions that killed 124. Rana Plaza, the multi-storied building, was built on low land and housed at least five garment factories. This land was grabbed by a ruling party thug from a religious minority family, was quickly built upon without proper design, permission, or many of the necessary materials. In every phase of construction, this building grew with deviance and corruption. Sohel Rana, the owner of the building, a local leader of the ruling party, has been known as drug smuggler and accused of many crimes including murder (for more on him, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22366454).
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[UPDATE: We received this from a reader on 5/15: "Found out recently, Babu has died. Actually 'murdered' would be the right word. I am trying to find out what happened, but in vain. Still trying...probably he did, saw, and knew too much! His body was found in a room of a hospital, there were signs of strangling. They had to shut him up! Just like that. So easy, so easy, so easy."]

The following was translated and shared with One Struggle, with the intent to show the heroism of the masses, of the working class.

“Why is it that our greatest freedom fighters listed are always from the army or the trained soldiers? Why the names of regular freedom fighters are not there? … [T]heir name will not be written in history. They are going to keep digging and digging holes by risking their lives, in the hope of finding someone alive, all the way at the bottom of the collapsed building.”

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by Arif Jebtik
translated by Nurun Nahar Zerin

1.
Last Thursday night, 2 am. 3 men were coming back to Savar from Sripur, which is near to Maona, after collecting machines to cut building. The van also carried 500 bottles of water from Dhaka. Right before Bypass road the van stopped to fill gas in a CNG station. Van was being filled while two men asked with unassumingly “are you all going to Savar?” They seemed to be poor (floating workers).
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