Ex-Bangladesh Home Minister held; 10 buses torched in Dhaka

DHAKA: More than 10 buses were torched in Dhaka and other parts of the country before a 48-hour countrywide blockade announced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Former Bangladesh Home Minister and current BNP Vice-Chairman, Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, has been arrested in connection with the cases of sabotage, violence and police killings in Dhaka.

The Dhaka court granted a six-day remand to BNP Standing Committee member and former Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and BNP media cell convener Zahir Uddin Swapan in the murder case of police constable Amirul Islam Parvez.

Earlier, between 7:30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, three buses were set on fire in the Elephant Road, Newmarket and Saidabad areas.

It is known that the besiegers set fire to the Mirpur Link bus in front of Gauchia Market in the Newmarket area. On receiving information, two units of fire service rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.

Five minutes later, a Green University bus was set on fire in front of Multiplan City Centre on Elephant Road. Later, another bus was set on fire under the flyover at Syedabad township junction.

According to the fire service, the Mirpur Link bus was set on fire in the Newmarket area. Two units of Palashi Barracks Fire Station work to control the fire.

On the other hand, two units of Siddique Bazar fire station brought the fire of the Green University bus under control. Besides, two units of Postagola fire station brought the bus fire under control in Sayedabad.

On Saturday night around 11.45 p.m., miscreants of BNP-Jamaat alliance set fire to a passenger bus standing on the side of the road in Charfashan upazila of Bhola, Barisal.

Asaduzzaman, Station Officer of Charfashan Fire Service and Civil Defense, told IANS that a fire broke out in a bus at the new bus stand around 12:15 p.m. on Saturday in a Bhola-Chittagram-bound Yamuna Express bus on the side of the road.

After getting information about the fire, two units of the fire service brought the fire under control after around two hours.

A passenger bus of Manzil Express Paribahan was set on fire by the Jamat BNP men. On receiving the information,Fire service media told IANS on Sunday that two units of the fire service went and brought the fire under control.

On Friday (November 3), the media cell of the Fire Service reported that 34 incidents of arson had been reported across the country during the three-day blockade called by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Meanwhile, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury has been arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

RAB confirmed his arrest early on Sunday (November 5) while hiding in Tongi area of the state capital Dhaka named as an accused in the case of sabotage, violence and police killings.

BNP youth wing Judo Dal leader Md. Rubel (30) was arrested on Saturday for setting fire to a sugar truck in Feni. However, on Thursday, BNP-Jamaat alliance called for an end of the three-day blockade.

Chittagong RAB-7 Feni Camp Captain Squadron Leader Mohammad Sadekul Islam said that he was caught from the Birinchi area of Sadar Feni on Saturday night. Rubel is the president of Birinchi Ward Jubo Dal of Feni Municipality.

They said from Tuesday (October 31) 6 a.m. to Thursday (November 2) 6 p.m., 34 bus fires were reported across the country. (IANS)

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