A pick-up van, a truck, and a bus were set on fire in Chittagong, Sylhet, and Chandpur districts early Saturday ahead of the 48-hour hartal enforced by BNP and some other opposition parties to press their demand for boycotting the January 7 election.
In Chittagong, miscreants set fire to a pick-up van on the Dhaka-Chittgagong highway at Dhalipara in Sitakunda upazila early Saturday.
Abdul Hakim, officer-in-charge of Kumira Highway Police, said 8-10 miscreants forced the pick-up van driver to halt it around 5:30am. Later, they set it on fire by hurling crude bomb and fled the scene.
On information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.
In Chandpur, a bus helper suffered burn injuries as a fire broke out at a stationary bus on Chandpur-Comilla highway at Chandpur Bus Station around 5:30am.
Sheikh Mahsin Alam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Model police station, said a fire broke out in “Ananda Paribahan” bus.
On information, police rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire.
Khokon Mia, 60, a helper of the bus, who was asleep inside the bus, sustained burn injuries.
He was taken to the Sadar hospital.
Police suspected that the fire might have originated from mosquito coil.
In Sylhet, arsonists set a truck on fire on Sylhet-Dhaka highway at Lalabazar in Dakkhin Surma upazila early Saturday.
Miscreants set the truck on fire beside Lalabazar Armed Police Battalion office around 1:45am, said Md Jabed, duty officer of Dakkhin Surma police station.
