At least nine vehicles were set on fire on Tuesday in Dhaka during Independence Day celebrations ahead of the 18-Party alliance-sponsored 36-hour shutdown.
One bus near Science Laboratory, one each in Motijheel and Mirpur, two taxi cabs in New Market, a private car in Segunbagicha, a human hauler in Banglabazar, a taxi cab in Kawran Bazar and an autorickshaw in Phulbaria were burned in shutdown-eve violence.
A bus was set ablaze near Science Laboratory police box at around 11:15am, Fire Service and Civil Defence Control Room official Farhad Hossain told bdnews24.com. No one was injured.
A bus of ‘New Vision’ transport company and a ‘Raja City’ bus were set afire at around 5:30pm at the Mirpur-1 intersection and at Motijheel Shapla Chattar around 7:15am respectively, Fire Service Control Room official Kamrul Islam told bdnews24.com.
Two taxi cabs were torched at around 3pm and in the evening in New Market, bdnews24.com Correspondent reported.
A parked private car was set on fire in Segunbagicha near Chittagong Hotel at around 3:30pm, Fire Service Control Room official Ziauddin said. Ramna police Inspector Shahidul Islam said some youths hurled petrol bomb on the car. The car soon caught fire but the driver escaped unhurt. Eyewitnesses said the youths immediately fled the scene.
Shutdown supporters set a human hauler on fire in Banglabazar at around 3:30pm, Sutrapur Police Station Officer in-Charge Rafiqul Islam said. “Locals quickly doused flames,” he added.
Police detained four youths for allegedly trying to set a bus afire in Farmgate in the afternoon.
Tejgaon police Sub-Inspector Selim Rahman said they suspected the detainees to be pro-shutdown activists. “We are quizzing them.”
The control room confirmed a cab was set on fire in Kawran Bazar at around 8:30pm and an auto-rickshaw on Alauddin Road in Old Dhaka’s Phulbaria at around 10:15pm. No casualties were reported.
Police suspect pro-shutdown activists were behind all the incidents of arson attack in the capital.
Five suspected activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the BNP, and its student affiliate, Islami Chhatra Shibir, were detained from Paltan as they tried to take out a procession, according to police’s Motijheel zone Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Nazmul Alam.
The opposition alliance has called the strike starting 6am on Wednesday demanding, among other things, the release of their detained leaders and activists.
On Mar 17, at least 20 vehicles were torched ahead of the alliance’s shutdown on Mar 18-19 over the same demands.
Source: UNB Connect