Central BNP committee member and Kurigram BNP President Tasvir Ul Islam, who occupies several extended floors in FR Tower in Dhaka's Banani, has been arrested.
Detectives picked up Tasvir, who is managing director of Quasem Drycells Company Ltd, from his Baridhari residence in the city at 10:45pm on Saturday (Mar 30), Additional Commissioner (Detective Branch) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Shajahan Sjau told Bangla Tribune.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed with Banani police.
SI Milton Dutt, in-charge of Banani police outpost, filed the case under section nos. 436, 304(A), 427 and 190 of Penal Code.
Land owner of the building SNH Faruq, Chairman of Rupayan Group Liaquat Ali Khan and Tasvir Ul Islam have been named in the case.
According to Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) sources, FR tower owner Faruq and developer company Rupayun Group jointly applied to the city development authority for approval of their construction design in 1996.
However, after BNP-Jamaat came to power in 2001, despite RAJUK approving only 18 storeys, five more were added to the building to extend it up to 23 floors.
Tasvir bought the 20th and 21st floors from deceased Jatiya Party lawmaker Maidul Islam, who had bought them from the developer company. Later, Tasvir changed the building's design and added two extra floors on top of the roof.
Because of Tasvir's close relationship with the then-Housing and Planning Minister Mirza Abbas, Tasvir managed to get away with the illegal construction, as RAJUK took no action to stop him.
Tasvir, however, claimed he did nothing wrong and bought the flat following the procedures.
“The floors I own have RAJUK’s approval,’ the BNP leader told Bangla Tribune before adding he bought the floors from developer company Raupyan.
Tasvir claimed that conflict between land owner and developer has created such smoky situation.
“I’m not the one who is responsible, it’s RAJUK,” he told Bangla Tribune on Saturday.
There has been a conflict between the land owner and the developer company of the building over indiscipline, arson, damage to the building, and fear of criminal activities, following a letter sent by RAJUK, to the building authorities for flouting building codes in the construction of FR Tower.
FR Tower owner Faruq issued a notice mentioning the letter, where Tasvir was termed as an illegal occupant.
Citing RAJUK’s warning the notice asked the owners to bring the height of the building to the approved level.
RAJUK had requested Tasvir to remove all his furniture and materials from his occupied floors to avoid any problems face legal action, warned the notice.
However, Tasvir continued to ignore the notice, and RAJUK did not act till the fire occurred.
A devastating fire tore through the FR Tower on Mar 28 – killing 26 people, and injuring 70.