4 vehicles torched on hartal eve

Four vehicles were torched in the city’s Ramna, Azimpur, Tejgaon and Mirpur areas on Saturday afternoon ahead of the countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance for Sunday.In the first incident, suspected pro-hatral pickets set on fire a medicine-carrying covered van of Globe Pharmaceuticals Limited in front of the Engineers’ Institution around 3:15pm.

The driver of the vehicle, Shahidul Islam, told bdnews24.com that he stopped the van for check-up as he felt some problem in driving. “Suddenly, a group of youths sprinkled petrol on the vehicle, set it ablaze and then fled immediately.”

Officer in Charge (OC) of the Ramna Police Station Shah Alam told bdnews24.com that pro-strike elements might have been behind the incident.

On information, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the flames.

In a similar incident, a ‘VIP 27′ number plying on Azimpur-Gazipur route was set ablaze in front of the Azimpur Girls’ School and College around 4:30pm.

OC of the Lalbagh Police Station Azizuzzaman told bdnews24.com that the bus was partially damaged in the fire.

An official at the Fire Service control room, Shahjadi Sultana told bdnews24.com that a private car was set ablaze at the Sat Rasta intersection in Tejgaon at around 7:15pm. A team of fire-fighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire.

Around the same time, she said, another bus of the Metro Service Paribahan was set on fire in Mirpur Sector-1. However, the locals had extinguished the fire before the fire-fighters reached there.

The 18-Party Alliance has announced a day-long countrywide general strike on Sunday in protest against the last round of hike in fuel prices.

The 18-Party Alliance has announced a countrywide daylong general strike for Sunday protesting the latest round of increase in the fuel prices.

It has become almost a routine affair to vandalise and torch vehicles in the capital in the evening prior to every lockdown or blockade programme. Police often blame the opposition activists for such incidents.

bdnews24.com

Leave a Reply