Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 27th June 2026, 2:30 PM
A devastating midnight fire has razed the law chamber of the late former caretaker government adviser, Hasan Arif, claiming the lives of two young employees. The tragic incident occurred at the Al Baraka Tower on Elephant Road in Dhaka’s Kataban area, leaving families devastated and destroying irreplaceable legal documents.
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The victims have been identified as Abdus Salam, 20, and Joni, 24. Both young men worked as clerks within the prestigious chamber and were inside the premises when the blaze erupted on Friday night.
As thick, toxic smoke quickly engulfed the office, cutting off their primary escape routes, the duo sought refuge inside a bathroom. They locked themselves in, hoping to shield themselves from the heat, but the rapidly spreading smoke filled the confined space. Trapped inside, both men lost consciousness due to severe smoke inhalation and oxygen deprivation before rescue teams could reach them.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, emergency services received the first report of the fire at 1:05 am. Given the dense commercial nature of Elephant Road and the presence of flammable materials like books and wooden furniture in the office, the fire spread with alarming speed.
Six firefighting units from nearby stations were immediately deployed to the scene. It took more than two hours of intense, coordinated efforts to bring the flames under control, with the blaze finally extinguished at 3:08 am.
Upon entering the charred remains of the chamber, rescue workers broke open the bathroom door and discovered the unconscious clerks. They were rushed to nearby medical facilities in a critical condition. Abdus Salam was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where attending doctors pronounced him dead at around 3:30 am. Joni was transported to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, but succumbed to his injuries shortly after admission.
The destroyed chamber holds significant prominence in Bangladesh’s legal community. It originally belonged to the late Hasan Arif, a highly respected former adviser to the caretaker government and former Attorney General. Following his passing, the practice was run by his son, Barrister Moaz, alongside Abdullah Al Noman, a prominent prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal.
The two victims were integral support staff for the legal practice:
Abdus Salam: Hailing from Borobhadahar village in the Kahaloo Upazila of Bogura, he was the son of Mohammad Selim and Rehena Bibi. He served as a personal clerk to prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman.
Joni: A resident of Babundia village in Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila, he was the son of Babul Miah and worked closely with Barrister Moaz.
The physical devastation to the office is immense. Sarwar, a security gunman for another lawyer in the same building, noted that legal textbooks, reference volumes, and critical case documents worth millions of Taka were reduced to ashes. The loss of these original legal briefs poses a severe challenge to ongoing cases handled by the firm.
Police authorities have commenced their initial inquiries. Mohammad Shahin, a Sub-Inspector at the New Market Police Station, confirmed that both bodies have been moved to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations. While initial assessments point strongly to asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation, formal determination of the cause of death awaits the autopsy reports. Fire officials have launched a technical probe to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, with an electrical short-circuit suspected as the primary trigger.
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