Gutted Bangladesh factory's owner denied bail

A court in Bangladesh Sunday denied bail to the owner of a garment factory and his wife after they surrendered over a fire accident that killed 112 people in November 2012.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Tajul Islam gave the order after Delwar Hossain, owner of Tazreen Fashion Limited, and his wife Mahmuda surrendered to seek bail in the case, reported Xinhua.

Hundreds of workers of the factory chanted slogans inside the court premises here demanding capital punishment for the factory owner.

On Dec 22, 2013, Delwar Hossain and 12 others were charged with homicide and death caused due to negligence and breaching construction rules, as officials tried to cover up an investigation into the fire on Nov 24, 2012.

Dozens of workers were also injured in the blaze, claimed to be "an act of sabotage", which raged through the eight-storey factory in Ashulia area on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The tragedy raised questions about the commitments of factory owners and their global buyers to provide safe working conditions in Bangladesh's garment export sector, which comprises about 5,000 factories employing more than four million workers, 80 percent of them women.