Shillong, October 29: The BNP’s dawn-to-dusk strike in Bangladesh on Sunday was marred by violence, with miscreants setting two buses on fire in Dhaka, resulting in one fatality.
As per IANS, the victim was identified as a helper (driver’s assistant) who was inside one of the buses when it was torched.
Earlier in the day, a Shikar Paribahan bus was set ablaze near the south gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque, but the fire was extinguished by fire service personnel.
Reports also indicated that bricks were thrown at three BRTC buses in Uttara, resulting in broken windows.
As the day progressed, there were reports of marches and picketing in various locations in support of the strike.
Additional Commissioner of Police (DB) Harun Aur Rashid stated, “Many police vehicles have been set on fire. All the ambulances of Rajarbagh Police Hospital were set on fire. The guilty will be punished. We have also arrested robbers in the past who wore DB uniforms. Similarly, today, we are looking for those who set buses on fire while wearing law enforcement uniforms or DB uniforms. A case will be filed against them.”
A helper from another bus was also burned on Saturday evening.
The strike was called by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to protest the arrest of senior party leaders. Law enforcement agencies were on high alert in various parts of the city, with 11 platoons from the Border Guard Bangladesh deployed. Additionally, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had called for a strike at the same time, but the Dhaka Bus Owners Association rejected their strike call.