Strikers have torched a bus carrying passengers in Dhaka on the third day of the Opposition-sponsored strike, police say.At least seven passengers received burn injuries when this happened around 2:15pm on Tuesday.
Police said shutdown campaigners set fire to the bus of ‘Komol Paribahan’ on its way to Narayanganj from Gulistan at Matuail.
“The bus was running when it was set on fire,” said Wari division’s Deputy Commissioner Ilias Sharif.
“We suspect either petrol or gunpowder was used for setting the bus on fire,” Sharif told bdnews24.com.
Firemen rushed to the spot and controlled the fire.
The injured have been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Of them, doctors said Tarek Ahmed, 20, a Dhaka Polytechnic Institute student, Rabeya Akhter, 24, an Eden College student, and Md Shuvo, 30, an engineer by profession, had suffered serious burns.
The rest Abdur Rahim, 30, Abdul Mannan, 33, Abu Bakar Siddiqui, 30, and Abul Kalam, 40, suffered minor injuries.
The doctors did not give further details about the extent of the victims’ injuries.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s son Sajeeb Ahmed Wajed Joy visited the DMCH Burn Unit.
Joy was there around 4pm to see those injured in the arson during the opposition strike.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance is trying to enforce an 84-hour shutdown, demanding polls under a non-party caretaker government. – bdnews24.com
