Mystery blast at minister’s march

At least seven people sustained injuries when two crude bombs went off in the middle of a procession, organised by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, in the highly guarded Gulshan area in the capital yesterday.

When the bombs exploded near the Gulshan 2 intersection, the procession was on its way to lay siege to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s office, protesting the ongoing violence in the blockade and hartals.

Witnesses said a large number of people gathered at an empty field – formerly amusement park Wonderland – in Gulshan around 12 noon under the banner of Sramik-Karmachari-Peshajibi-Mukktijodha Sommonoy Parishad. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan is the convener of the platform.

Following a short gathering and a few speeches, they headed towards Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office, chanting anti-blockade-hartal slogans.

Around 12:20pm, when the procession was crossing the Metropolitan Shopping Plaza at the Gulshan 2 intersection, the crude bombs rocked the area.

“The shipping minister was in the front row. After he crossed the shopping mall, the bombs were hurled from the building,” claimed Abul Kalam Azad, a participant of the procession.

People started running to and fro out of fear after the blasts took place. Shopkeepers pulled down the shutters and the roads in the adjacent areas got deserted within minutes.

Blood stains could be seen in at least three spots on the road in front of the shopping mall, but our correspondent did not see any mark of explosives or remnants of the bombs.

Soon, a joint team of RAB and police conducted a drive inside the Metropolitan Shopping Plaza, sensing that the bombs could have been dropped from the rooftop of the building which is just half a kilometer from Khaleda’s office.

One of the injured, whose identity could not be known immediately, suffered splinter injuries and a fractured leg. He was taken to a nearby hospital.

Another victim was Delwar Hossain, an activist of Bangladesh Awami Muktijoddha Projonmo League.

Protesting the blasts, Awami League supporters vandalised several shops in the area, prompting the keepers of other shops to pull down their shutters. Little later, the protesters got organised again and started heading for Khaleda’s office on Gulshan road number 86 again.

Police blocked them when they reached the mouth of the street on which the office is located. Having failed to move further, the procession held a brief rally at the spot.

Shajahan Khan in his speech termed Khaleda Zia a “monster” and demanded her immediate arrest.

Our Dhaka Medical College Hospital correspondent reports that three injured people were taken there between 2:30pm and 3:20pm.

Of them Babul Akhter, 54, had injuries in one of his legs and head and Motaleb Khalashi, 22, and his cousin Obaidul Khalashi, 21, had minor injuries. Babul told reporters that the bomb was hurled from somewhere above them.

Contacted, an official from the emergency unit of the United Hospital said two young men named Rubel Ahmed and Abu Taher Imon took first aid there.

Rubel, who had bruises in his legs, is the president of a local unit of Muktijoddha Projonmo League’s Gendaria unit in Old Dhaka. Imon, who had injured one hand, is the joint secretary of the same organisation.

Khandaker Lutful Kabir, deputy commissioner of Gulshan division police, said seven people took treatment at different hospitals. “The bombs were hurled from the shopping mall. We have picked up at least five people for their suspected involvement.”

An expert said when a bomb is dropped from a height and it explodes in the middle of a crowd, generally the upper part of the bodies of those around will be hurt. When it is set off near the ground, lower part of the bodies of those around are most likely to have injuries.

Earlier yesterday morning, around 50 leaders and activists of Mohila League, women front of the Awami League, tried to lay siege to Khaleda’s office but they too were barred by police at the same spot.

Over the last few weeks, several pro-Awami League bodies have tried to do the same but have been prevented by police. They all were protesting the loss of lives in violence in the ongoing action programmes of the BNP-led alliance.

Meanwhile, the BNP yesterday said Shahjahan Khan’s move to lay siege to Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office was “utterly provocative” and alleged that it was part of a plan to kill the former prime minister.

In a joint statement issued last evening, BNP Dhaka City unit leaders Mirza Abbas and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel said the demonstration near the BNP chief’s Gulshan office was at the behest of the government high-ups.

The two leaders warned the minister of dire consequences for his threat to arrest their leader, reports UNB.