Arsonists become desperate

Incidents of vandalism and arson increased in the last few days across the country, with attackers in groups pouncing on vehicles in broad daylight and disappearing fast.

The capital saw two such incidents yesterday, the second day of the BNP-led alliance's 72-hour countrywide hartal and the 58th day of indefinite blockade.

A group of about eight youths vandalised five vehicles with cricket stumps and torched a private car near the Aarong outlet in Hatirjheel area around 4:00pm, said witnesses.

Around the same time, some 12 pickets damaged and torched two private cars in front of Hotel 71 in Bijoy Nagar.

Emerging from a nearby alley, the attackers intercepted the cars and blasted a crude bomb.

Suspected pickets vandalise and torch cars in Hatirjheel area of the capital yesterday morning during the opposition's 72-hour hartal. Photo: Collected

As the passengers got off the cars, the pickets vandalised the vehicles, set those on fire and left the scene. Fire fighters later doused the flames.

Earlier, the city witnessed such violence mostly in the evening and night.

Meanwhile, three passengers of a bus carrying Janata Bank staff were injured as alleged pro-hartal activists hurled a crude bomb at the vehicle near Bhanga Press in Jatrabari around 9:30am.

The injured were undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said sources at the hospital police camp.

Of the victims, two were injured with splinters from the bomb, while the other was hurt as he jumped off the bus to escape the attack.

In Gazipur, two criminals torched a bus at Bormi Bus Stop under Sreepur upazila around 12:30pm, leaving five passengers injured, said police.

The arsonists set the bus alight with gunpowder. The passengers sustained injuries while trying to get off the bus. Locals later doused the flames.

In another incident, Sreepur police recovered around 100 firecrackers and materials for making firecrackers under a culvert near Saitalia bazar around 3:00pm.

Arsonists in Panchagarh torched two buses at Tentulia Bus Stand and two local Awami League offices at Jagdal Bazar and Tunirhat village in Panchagarh Sadar upazila early yesterday, reports our correspondent.

Quoting locals, police said criminals splashed petrol on the buses parked at the bus stand and torched those around 4:00am. Fire fighters later put out the blaze.

An elderly man with hearing impairment receives treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after his leg was wounded in a cocktail attack at the capitals Jatrabari yesterday. Photo: Banglar Chokh

Riding on two motorbikes, a group of six youths set the local AL office afire at Jagdal Bazar around 5:00pm.

Around the same time, unknown miscreants torched the AL office at Tunirhat village in the same upazila. Furniture, doors and windows of the office were burnt.

In Feni, alleged pro-hartal activists torched a bus on Feni-Noakhali highway in Dagonbhuiyan upazila around 7:00am.

Police said the bus of Sugandha Paribahan left Mahipal of Feni for Sonapur of Noakhali. As it reached Aziz Fazilpur Moktarbarir Daraja area, some youths posing as passengers signalled at the driver to stop.

Getting in the bus, the youths forced all the passengers to get off and set the vehicle on fire with petrol.

In Dinajpur, alleged hartal supporters hurled a firebomb at a truck in Nawabganj upazila.

As the Dinajpur-bout truck from Sirajganj reached near Bhaduria around 6:00am, criminals hurled the bomb at the truck, said Nawabganj police.

Some 10-12 people vandalised a diagnostic centre in Amtoli area of Joypurhat.

In Bogra, pro-hartal pickets torched two trucks in Arulia on Bogra-Noagaon highway under Bogra Sadar upazila around 6:00am. One of the trucks was carrying fish to Natore.

Pickets chased another Bogra-bound truck there. Losing control, the driver drove the truck into a saw mill and fled the scene. The pickets then torched the vehicle.

Alleged hartal supporters blasted two crude bombs in front of the registry office in Bogra town around 11:30am.

In Mymensingh, arsonists torched a microbus in the garage of Bangladesh Agricultural University around 3:30am.

In Rajshahi, criminals fired shots and hurled crude bombs at the city residence of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul around 10:15pm.

Bulbul's mother-in-law Sahera Banu received minor injuries in the explosion, said Iftekhar Alam, assistant commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.

The incident took place around an hour after criminals threw homemade bombs at the residence of former RCC mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, also an AL leader.