Over 100 buses torched in B'desh after BNP’s three-day strike call

Over hundred busses were set ablaze allegedly by BNP workers in Dhaka, following a three day strike call given by the country's principal opposition outfit, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

BNP's Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had called for a three-day complete blockade of the country starting 31 October to press the party's one-point demand of immediate resignation of the Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Wednesday, five minibuses and an ambulance were set ablaze in different parts of the capital city. The police have said that they have arrested one person regarding this incident.

In the Baridhara area -- the diplomatic zone of Dhaka -- the miscreants set ablaze a minibus belonging to Boishakhi Paribahan on Wednesday evening, said Rozina Akter, Fire Service Control Room officer.

In Mirpur, a private university bus was set ablaze. Rashed Bin Khaled, a duty officer of the Fire Service Control Room, said that no casualties were reported in this incident.

In Shyamoli, miscreants boarded a Gabtoli-bound bus of Welcome Paribahan in guise of passengers and set it on fire in front of the Shyamoli Square.

Mohammad Imrul, Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) of DMP Mohammadpur Zone, said all the passengers managed to get out safely from the minibus.

The miscreants also set fire to an ambulance of a private hospital near the Mohakhali flyover.

In the Mugda area, the miscreants set ablaze another bus. Mugda police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Majid said the police have detained a youth in connection with the incident while his accomplices managed to flee.

The officer said that the accused is a BNP member.

In Kafrul, Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP members reportedly set a passenger bus of Itihash Paribahan on fire.

Farukul Alam Kafrul, Officer-in-Charge (OC), told IANS that the miscreants fled the scene after the incident while the flames were doused by locals.

The miscreants also blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Siddhirganj and set ablaze vehicle tyres to enforce the blockade.

Meanwhile, the long-route buses have also stopped plying from Gabtali for security reasons.

On Thursday, the police detained three BNP members in the Sanarpar area.

The movement of long-route buses was low on Thursday -- the third day of the strike -- though the number of local public transport plying on the roads witnessed good movement as compared to the previous two days.

Former BNP General Secretary, Mamun Mahmud, has allegedly enforced the blocked on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in the Sanarpar area of Siddhirganj.

Meanwhile, a court in Dhaka has sent Lieutenant General (Retd) Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardi to eight-day remand in connection with an alleged case of committing treason.

He had introduced a person who had falsely claimed to be a close associate of US President Joe Biden in a bid to destabilise the country.

Sarwardi was arrested from Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka by a team of DB police.