A badly burnt victim takes treatment at DMCH today. He was one of the eight passengers who sustained severe burn injuries when pickets had set fire to a moving bus on the third day of the 84-hour opposition’s hartal at Rayerbagh in the capital this afternoon. Photo: Palash Khan
At least eight passengers sustained severe burn injuries when pickets set fire to a moving bus at Rayerbagh in the capital this afternoon.
The injured were admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
The incidents of arson and vandalism were also reported from Jatrabari on the third day of the 84-hour opposition’s hartal.
Meanwhile, police arrested two leaders of the BNP-led 18-paty opposition combine from in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan head office, reports Bangla daily Prothom Alo.
The BNP-led 18-party opposition combine has enforced the hartal demanding a non-party polls-time government and in protest against the arrest of three top BNP leaders.
RAYERBAGH
The pickets set ablaze the running bus on Dhaka-Chittagong highway around 1:55pm, leaving eight people injured.
The bus was heading towards Kanchpur Bridge.
The victims sustained eight percent to 37 percent burn injuries, AKM Sarwarul Alam, a duty doctor of the burn unit of DMCH told The Daily Star.
One of the victims was identified as Rabeya Begum, 25, a masters student of political science at Eden Women University College. She was going to her Thanarpar residence in Siddirganj from the college.
The victims were whisked off to DMCH minutes before a scheduled visit by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was due to visit the hartal victims at the burn unit at 3:00pm, but officials said he did not reach the hospital till 3:20pm when the report was filed.
Police stand guard at Nayapaltan in the capital on the third day of the 84-hour hartal enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance. Photo: TV grab
NAYAPALTAN
Police arrested Abdur Rashid Prodhan, secretary general of Islamic party, and Sultan Ahmed, a leader of Krishak Dal, when they were trying to enter the BNP office.
The duo was later shown arrested in connection with a vandalism case, the report said quoting Mehedi Hassan, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Motijheel Zone.
“They are accused in a case filed for vandalising. We are looking for people who commit vandalism, and on that basis, we have arrested them,” the ADC said.
JATRABARI
The pro-hartal activists torched and vandalised six vehicles and blasted eight crude bombs during the hartal.
Around 100 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, the key ally of BNP, and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, set fire to a pickup van and vandalised five other vehicles at Kazla of Bibir Bagicha in Jatrabari around 7:00am, witnesses said.
The Jamaat-Shibir men also set off eight crude bombs there when law enforcers chased them.
Source: The Daily Star
