On the first day of the BNP-Jamaat's second phase of the two-day blockade, incidents of arson and vandalism continued as before with unidentified miscreants setting fire to public transports across the country despite the stringent security measures in place by law enforcement authorities.
In the capital alone, 11 passenger buses, including one from Dhaka University, were set ablaze. Overall, there have been 16 cases of arson involving public transportation (passenger buses) and mini-trucks nationwide, according to Fire Service and Civil Defence's media cell.
These incidents included the burning of a bus at Banglamotor junction around 6:30pm on Sunday, the torching of Dhaka University's Chaitali bus in front of Mirpur Bangla College at 3:42pm, and the setting fire to a moving bus of Achim Paribahan at 7:30am in Meradia, resulting in a person sustaining severe burn injuries.
Doctors at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, reported that the man named Sabuj suffered burns over 28% of his body, including his airway.
Additional incidents of setting bus on fire took place at various times and locations in Dhaka, along with other divisions across the country.
Since October 28, the fire service recorded a total of 82 reports related to arson and vandalism, with varying counts per day across the country.
Meanwhile, miscreants hurled two crude bombs targeting a police vehicle that was deployed in Dhaka’s Uttara to tackle any untoward situation.
Police detained Gazi Mohammad Hasan, the former vice-president of Gazipur Mahanagar Chhatra Dal, while fleeing from the scene.
Security tightened
Security has been beefed up in front of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) central office in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan area.
Three platoons of Bangladesh Police were seen in front of the opposition’s central office on Sunday, which has been closed since October 28.
Besides, law enforcers in plainclothes were also seen in the area.
Meanwhile, 27 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in Dhaka and adjoining districts to maintain law and order situation.
Like the first spell of the blockade, the members of the frontier battalion have been performing their duties alongside police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar to ensure public safety and security in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Low traffic
Traffic on the streets is comparatively thin on the first workday of the week. The number of private and public transport on the road, however, is more compared to the three-day blockade last week.
Office-goers, students and other commuters were seen going to their destinations on foot due to the shortage of public transport.
However, on the first day of the commercial run of metro rail’s Motijheel-Uttara route, the ticket counters at Motijheel station were bustling with passengers expressing their contentment with both the fare and the quality of service provided by the trains.
Cases, detentions pile up
Meanwhile, authorities have registered a total of 89 cases in 32 police stations and arrested 1,502 individuals involved in violence and arson over a 15-day period.
Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) chief Additional Commissioner Harun-Or-Rashid emphasized the deliberate nature of these attacks on both civilian lives and government property.
The police official said: “Everyone involved in the arson and vandalism incidents will be apprehended. They will face the full extent of the law.”
He further expressed concerns over the targeted nature of these actions, stating that the affected individuals, such as bus drivers, often have no other means of livelihood.
The DB chief condemned the systematic pattern of violence and arson and highlighted the identifiable culprits involved in these incidents.