Another arson victim dies

A labourer lost his battle for life yesterday, four days after he was burnt in an arson attack in Feni.

Hossain Mia, 50, who suffered 60 percent burns on February 15, died at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday morning, said Samanta Lal Sen, adviser to the unit.

Meanwhile, a youth died and another suffered injuries in an explosion while they were making a bomb in the city's Hazaribagh yesterday. In another incident, two people were burnt in a firebomb attack in Tangail.

With this, the death toll has risen to 73 in the ongoing countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led alliance since January 6. Most of the deceased were victims of mindless arson attacks.

In Dhaka, the youth, who died in an explosion while making a bomb, was identified as Jasim Uddin, 28, a resident of Kamrangirchar.

Police said he along with his friend Raju Hossain, a Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal leader, were making crude bombs at Raju's house in Hazaribagh around 4:30pm. Raju was taken to the DMCH.

Jasim died on the way to the hospital, hospital sources said. Police recovered three crude bombs and some bomb making materials from the house, said Sukenda Chandra Sarker, sub-inspector of Hazaribagh Police Station.

Meanwhile, hartal supporters set fire to a bus of Balaka Paribahan in the city's Nabisco intersection around 10:15pm, fire service officials said. None was reported hurt in the arson. Two more vehicles were torched elsewhere in the country.

A rickshaw puller was injured as suspected hartal supporters exploded a crude bomb near Doyel Chattar around 7:30pm.

A mob gave a good beating to a youth on suspicion of picketing at Motijheel around noon. Later, they handed him over to police.

In Tangail, trucker Ujjal Hossain and his helper Al Mamun Rana were burnt as criminals hurled petrol bombs at their sand-laden truck on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Sar Palsia in Bhuapur. Mamun received 50 percent burns while Ujjal received 15 percent.

Hartal supporters intercepted the vehicle when it reached Sar Palsia area around 12:30am. Sensing danger, the duo tried to flee but the criminals hurled firebombs at it.

"We opened the door and were about to flee, but could not escape the firebombs. One of the bombers asked us why we were driving during hartal," said Ujjal who is undergoing treatment at the burn unit of the DMCH.

He and Mamun jumped into a nearby ditch after criminals had left the scene. The duo were first taken to Tangail Sadar Hospital, and later shifted to the DMCH.

"We are poor people. How will we survive if my husband does not work," said Sharifa Begum, wife of Ujjal, at the DMCH burn unit.

Meanwhile, criminals set fire to a carriage of Meghna Express while it was at Chandpur Railway Station around 4:00pm. Four seats were burnt, but none was injured.

In Sirajganj, at least five passengers received minor injuries while trying to get down from the bus hurriedly after it came under crude bomb attack near Jhaoil over bridge point adjacent to Bangabandhu Bridge around 10:00pm yesterday, said police.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion, on information, recovered five crude bombs and two petrol bombs from the house of Nasir Uddin, a non-resident Bangladeshi, at Manikpur in Munshiganj on Wednesday night, police said.

Criminals set fire to a BNP office on KP Basu Road in Jhenidah around 12:30pm. Later, fire fighters doused the fire.

In Chittagong, a case was filed against 51 BNP-Jamaat men, including BNP Chittagong city unit General Secretary Shahadat Hossain, over petrol bomb attack on a mini bus at Tiger Pass area that left seven passengers injured early yesterday.

Police picked up six pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal activists, including two former lawmakers, when they tried to supply food for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her office staff.

The detainees are Laila Begum and Nargis Ali, former lawmakers, and Shirin Akter Rina, Jharna Khan, Rokeya Sultana Tamanna and Nilufar Yasmin Nilu.

BNP THREATENS FRESH HARTAL

Amid the indefinite blockade, the BNP-led alliance yesterday threatened to enforce hartal from Sunday if the government did not meet its demand for holding a meaningful dialogue for an all-inclusive general elections.

"The 20-party alliance will be compelled to enforce hartal again alongside the ongoing blockade if the government does not accept the demand by this time," said BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed in a statement yesterday.

Apart from the huge economic loss that the country has been incurring every day since the blockade had begun, the turmoil has also thrown around 1.5 million candidates of SSC and equivalent exams into uncertainty. The government has already rescheduled the exams seven times.

Our district correspondents concerned contributed to the report.