Staff Reporter :
Dhaka has been rattled by a string of crude bomb explosions and bus arson attacks early Monday morning, triggering fear and uncertainty among residents just days before the verdict of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several buses were torched in separate areas in the capital while a series of homemade crude bombs, commonly known as cocktails, exploded in Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Dhanmondi and Malibagh.
One of the blasts targeted “Proshika”, a business establishment owned by Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter, on Sir Syed Road in Mohammadpur.
Witnesses said that two men on a motorcycle, both wearing helmets, hurled the explosives inside and outside the premises around 7 am. No one was injured, but the loud explosions caused widespread panic in the neighbourhood.
Police confirmed that two more blasts occurred outside Grameen Bank’s headquarters in Mirpur around 4 am, also carried out by unidentified men on motorcycles.
The explosion took place around 3:45am on the road in front of the office,
said Sajjad Roman, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station.
According to the OC, two individuals on a motorcycle threw a crude bomb on the road in front of the Grameen Bank office.
Police later visited the spot and launched an investigation to identify and arrest those involved, describing the incident as “an act of sabotage.” No casualties or property damage were reported.
Hours later, Dhanmondi saw four more explosions – two in front of Midas Centre on Road 27 and two near Ibn Sina Hospital on Road 9/A – within a half-hour window. Police officials believe the attackers acted deliberately to spread fear.
Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner Ibn Mizan said CCTV footage is being analysed to identify the perpetrators. Dhanmondi police also collected evidence from the scenes and increased patrols in the area.
“It appears they wanted to frighten law enforcement,” said Assistant Commissioner Shah Mostafa Tariquzzaman.
In Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, miscreants set fire to a bus in the evening. It is reported that a bus was set on fire in front of Lab Aid Hospital in the Science Lab area of Dhanmondi. However, no casualties have been reported so far.
Earlier, two passenger buses were torched in separate incidents at Shahjadpur and Badda early in the morning on Monday. Fire service officials confirmed that both fires – set within half an hour – were brought under control by four firefighting units.
No casualties were reported, but one of the buses was completely gutted. Police have seized the burnt vehicle from Badda and launched an investigation.
Law enforcers suspect the incidents may be linked to the recently banned activities of the Awami League, whose leaders and activists have been staging flash processions and calling for a Dhaka lockdown on 13 November.
In the past two days, police have arrested 34 leaders and activists of the outlawed Awami League and its front organisations for planning or participating in unauthorised political activities.
Meanwhile, Press Wing of the Chief Adviser said that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police later announced the arrest of a 28-year-old man believed to be involved in multiple cocktail blasts, including attacks near St Mary’s Cathedral and St Joseph School in Kakrail.
Investigators identified him as a member of the Chhatra League, the banned student wing of the deposed Awami League. Police said he is being interrogated and that more arrests are expected.
CA office said the DMP, in coordination with the RAB, has intensified a citywide manhunt to apprehend all individuals involved in these heinous and cowardly acts of violence.
Security has been beefed up in all churches and religious establishments of all faiths in the capital, it added.
The Interim government has reiterated its unwavering commitment to safeguarding interfaith unity and communal harmony, declaring that any attempt to disrupt the nation’s religious coexistence will be met with the full weight of the law.
Meanwhile, the police headquarters has issued strict directives to tighten security nationwide ahead of the Awami League’s ‘Dhaka lockdown’ programme on 13 November, the same day the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is expected to announce the date of the verdict against Sheikh Hasina and others over alleged offences including culpable homicide.
On Monday, police patrols, checkpoints, and intelligence surveillance have been intensified in the key areas of the capital and throughout the country.
The army, RAB, police, BGB, and intelligence agencies have been deployed in the field to prevent any form of violence.
Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Sunday said there was no cause for concern over the banned Awami League’s programme.
For many Dhaka residents, however, the morning’s explosions and fires have revived memories of political violence.
