Bus driver killed as arson and bomb blasts hit Bangladesh
A 60-year-old driver died in Faridpur as multiple districts reported vehicle fires and crude bomb explosions.
A 60-year-old bus driver, Md Kalachan Sheikh, died in Faridpur after unidentified individuals set fire to a parked bus early Monday, according to the Times of India. Sheikh was sleeping inside a Kishore-Tanay Paribahan vehicle near the Goalchamat New Bus Stand when the fire started. Although firefighters rescued him and moved him to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, doctors declared him dead.
The violence extended to Jhenaidah, where a petrol bomb was allegedly thrown at a Diganta double-decker bus carrying approximately 35 Islamic University students in the Dragon Bagan area of Shailkupa upazila. No casualties occurred in that incident. In Dhaka, two crude bombs exploded near Tokyo Square in Mohammadpur around 9:15 pm on Monday, and a Basumati Paribahan bus was torched near the Mirpur-11 Post Office.
The Daily Star reported that six buses were set on fire across Savar, Dhaka, and Gazipur on Monday. In Savar, two buses were torched along the Dhaka-Aricha highway, including one belonging to Itihash Paribahan. In Gazipur, two parked buses were set ablaze in the Chandra area of Kaliakair upazila.
Crude bomb explosions were also noted in Banasree, Mohakhali, the Dhaka University campus, and near the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. In Bogura, a van carrying jute sacks was gutted on the Dhaka-Bogura highway, which temporarily disrupted traffic.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Media) Akhter Hossain told The Daily Star that 19 people were arrested in the previous 24 hours in connection with recent attacks. Hossain stated many of those arrested are linked to the Awami League, a party whose activities are currently banned. Police in Savar also suspect the involvement of the banned party in the local bus arsons.