Panic gripped the Dhaka University campus on Sunday evening as a series of crude bomb explosions, which also struck several other locations across the capital, deepened public fear.
The evening rush had not yet subsided on campus when two loud explosions rang out in quick succession in the TSC area. Similar blasts followed beside the administrative building, in front of the VC Chattar and at the Mukti-Ganatantra Toron. Students detained several people as they fled the scene.
Elsewhere in the capital that evening, crude bombs also exploded at several other locations, including in front of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office in Malibagh.
The night before, after 1am, two people on a motorcycle fled after setting off three to four crude bombs in succession at the Chowrasta intersection in Jatrabari. A few hours earlier, another bomb exploded in front of the upazila parishad gate at Genda Bus Stand on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Savar. Eyewitnesses could not identify who carried it out.
Explosions are now occurring one after another across the capital and surrounding areas, in front of police stations, at police facilities, near important government buildings and on university campuses. Some attackers arrive on motorcycles, set off explosions and flee. In other cases, their movements are captured on CCTV. After each incident, police say they are investigating, conducting operations and trying to identify those responsible.
Questions remain, however, about who is behind the blasts and how directly the detained individuals are linked to them. Are police identifying and arresting the people who throw the bombs, or are arrests mainly of suspects and people accused of political affiliations, to fill arrest figures? And who is making and supplying the bombs, and directing the attacks?
A review of recent incidents shows suspects were detained during the explosion or while fleeing in several cases. In statements after most of the widely discussed incidents, however, police spoke of attackers escaping, efforts to identify them and ongoing investigations. Police claim a group is carrying out the incidents to deliberately spread panic among the public.
More than 50 blasts, 8 buses set on fire
At least 8 buses have been set on fire and more than 50 crude bomb explosions reported at different locations in the capital over the past few days. At least 8 bombs exploded between Friday (November 6) evening and late at night, in Adabor, Shahbagh, Khilgaon, the Airport area and Kalshi in Mirpur.
- Khilgaon: A crude bomb exploded inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party at 7:55pm. Khilgaon police station OC Saiful Islam told Dhaka Tribune that the bomb may have been thrown from the roof of a nearby building or from a location below.
- Adabor: At around 9:15pm, two crude bombs exploded in front of Adabor police station. OC Zahidul Islam said several people arriving on motorcycles threw them from the opposite side of the station and fled. Who carried it out, and why, was not immediately known.
- Shahbagh and Airport: That night, bombs were thrown at a police duty vehicle in Shahbagh, and another exploded later beside July Chattar. Two bombs were thrown from the Airport roundabout flyover. Airport police station OC Kamrul Hasan Talukdar said the attackers fled.
- Kalshi, Mirpur: CCTV footage showed individuals on a motorcycle without a number plate carrying out an explosion at Kalshi intersection. Mirpur Division DC Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar said an investigation was underway to identify them.
The previous day, Thursday (November 5) night, two explosions occurred in front of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel and in front of Gate 3 of Rajarbagh Police Lines. No information was available about anyone being detained in connection with those incidents. On November 2, a crude bomb also exploded near Dhanmondi Government Boys’ High School in Sobhanbagh.
On Saturday (November 7) night, a crude bomb was thrown at the Setu Bhaban in Banani, breaking the glass of its guard room. Police recovered another unexploded bomb from the scene. Banani police station OC Md Salauddin said efforts were underway to identify the attackers. An explosion was also reported in the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University area later that night.
Arrests made, explosives recovered
Among recent incidents, the October 30 blast in Kalabagan stands out. Police arrested four people during the explosion and as they tried to flee. Police said those arrested included activists of the banned Awami League and Jubo League. Police initially recovered three crude bombs and later recovered another 10 unexploded bombs based on information provided by the arrested individuals.
According to police, a bomb was also thrown at the Dhanmondi police station OC, who had gone to the scene after hearing the explosion. He detained two people, and the other two were arrested by Kalabagan police station. In this case, there is information linking the arrested individuals to the scene and to the recovery of explosives.
Separately, police on October 30 arrested two people, after analysing CCTV footage, in connection with a crude bomb explosion in front of the old Ramna police station on October 23. Four crude bombs were recovered based on information they provided.
Bombs for money? Earlier case raises allegations
Earlier police investigations have also raised allegations of bombs being thrown in exchange for money. Rezaul Islam was arrested in connection with an explosion in front of the office of the Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal on September 30. The then Dhanmondi police station OC, Muhammad Imdadul Islam, claimed that a political party whose activities were banned had offered him Tk 50,000 to throw a crude bomb. Police provided this information based on his initial interrogation.
This indicates that the person throwing a bomb, the person financing the attack and the person giving instructions may not be the same individual. However, it has not been established whether that earlier incident has any connection with the November explosions.
DMP: 'Deliberate sabotage'
Responding to journalists’ questions at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Sunday (November 8), Deputy Police Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Md Akhtar Hossain said police were closely monitoring and investigating every incident of bomb explosions and vehicle arson. Several people have already been arrested, among them members of various banned organisations and their affiliated bodies.
He said that, after reviewing the incidents as a whole, police believed a particular group was deliberately carrying out sabotage and spreading panic among the public. Operations and police deployment had been intensified based on intelligence information, and mobile patrols, picket duty and surveillance were continuing.
Asked about the source of the materials used to make the bombs, Akhtar Hossain said the Detective Branch had previously arrested several people along with explosive materials and ingredients used to make crude bombs. Police were monitoring whether flammable materials were being bought and sold anywhere for sabotage, and efforts were underway to identify those involved by analysing CCTV footage.
The questions that remain
Information from the incidents in Adabor, Shahbagh, the Airport area, Kalshi and Jatrabari indicates that individuals arrived on motorcycles, carried out the explosions and fled. Video footage is available in some cases. However, the information made public does not indicate confirmed progress in identifying and arresting the bombers in all the incidents.
It is therefore necessary to investigate whether a common criminal group is behind similar attacks in multiple areas. Investigators also need to establish where the bombs are being made, who is transporting them, where the instructions are coming from and who is arranging the attackers’ escape.
Dr Tawhidul Haque, a Dhaka University teacher and crime analyst, told Dhaka Tribune that arrests were important for maintaining law and order, but it was equally necessary to ensure that innocent people were not harassed on the basis of suspicion. He said no arrested individual should be presented as a bomb thrower without proper evidence in the investigation.