Bus driver burnt alive as arson attacks, crude bomb blasts rock Bangladesh

Several buses have been set ablaze and more than 50 crude bomb explosions rocked different locations across Dhaka over the past few days, according to a local media report.

NEW DELHI: A 60-year-old bus driver was burnt to death after unidentified miscreants set fire to a parked bus in Bangladesh's Faridpur early Monday, as a series of arson attacks and crude bomb explosions were reported in Dhaka and several other districts. The deceased, identified as Md Kalachan Sheikh, was sleeping inside a bus belonging to Kishore-Tanay Paribahan near Goalchamat New Bus Stand when it was set on fire, reported Bangladesh Daily New Age (Bangladesh). Firefighters rescued him and took him to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

In another incident, a petrol bomb was hurled at a double-decker bus carrying around 35 students of Islamic University in Jhenaidah on Monday night. The bus, named Diganta, was travelling towards the university campus when the attack took place in the Dragon Bagan area of Shailkupa upazila. No casualties were reported, according to The Daily Star.

In Dhaka, at least two crude bombs exploded in front of Tokyo Square in the Mohammadpur area around 9:15pm on Monday. Police said they were yet to identify those responsible. Separately, a Basumati Paribahan bus was set on fire in front of the Mirpur-11 Post Office around 9.30pm. No one was injured.

In Bogura district, a van carrying jute sacks was set on fire on the Dhaka-Bogura highway in Sherpur upazila on Monday evening. The vehicle was gutted, temporarily disrupting traffic. Firefighters brought the blaze under control.

More buses torched in Dhaka, Savar and Gazipur The incidents came amid a wider spate of arson attacks and crude bomb explosions across Bangladesh. According to The Daily Star, six buses were set on fire in Savar, Dhaka and Gazipur on Monday. In Savar, two buses parked along the Dhaka-Aricha highway were torched in the Genda and Baliarpur areas around 1am and 4am, respectively. One was used to transport garment workers, while the other belonged to Itihash Paribahan. The fires damaged the buses' seats and interiors.

In Dhaka, a Lovely Paribahan bus was set on fire beneath the Farmgate metro station in the evening. Another bus, belonging to Basumati Paribahan, was torched under the metro rail line in Mirpur-11 around 9:15pm. In Gazipur's Kaliakair upazila, two parked buses were set on fire in the Chandra area along the Dhaka-Tangail highway, The Daily Star reported.

Crude bomb explosions were also reported from several parts of Dhaka, including Banasree, Mohakhali, Dhaka University campus and outside the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Amid the attacks, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) set up 160 additional checkpoints at key locations across the capital on Monday and deployed more personnel to prevent further incidents. DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Akhter Hossain told The Daily Star that police had arrested at least 19 people in the preceding 24 hours in connection with recent blasts and attacks. He said many of those arrested were linked to the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned. Police in Savar also suspected the involvement of the banned Awami League in the two bus arson incidents there. Investigations were under way to identify those responsible.

The attacks come amid heightened political tensions in Bangladesh following the July 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The Awami League's activities were subsequently banned, and authorities have alleged links of some of its leaders and activists to recent incidents of crude bomb explosions and vehicle arson.