2 more arson victims die

Two victims of petrol bomb attacks died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday, raising the death toll in the violence that began since January 6 to 80.

On the 54th day of the nationwide blockade, several vehicles were set ablaze, bombs went off and there were arrests of Jamaat and Shibir activists and recovery of explosives.

A Shibir activist had his wrist blown off in a bomb blast in Gazipur.

As the BNP-led 20-party alliance's 72-hour countrywide hartal starts from 6:00am today, the government moved today's SSC and its equivalent exams to March 14 (Saturday).

The tests would be held from 10:00am to 1:00pm, said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid at a briefing in his Hare Road residence in Dhaka.

Another test, which was scheduled for February 12, will be held on March 13 (Friday) from 9:00am to noon, while the exam slated for March 3 has been postponed. Its date would be announced later.

Shakil Ahmed, 18, died of his injuries three days after he was burnt by petrol bomb at Rupganj in Narayanganj yesterday. Sixty percent of his body was burnt.

Shakil and bus helper Yasin, 12, were sleeping inside a bus in front of Bismillah CNG Filling Station on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Sawghat around 3:30am when the criminals hurled a petrol bomb.

Shakil died at 3:30pm at the intensive care unit, said Partha Shankar Paul, residential surgeon of DMCH burn and plastic surgery unit.

 Kabir Hossain died at 3:30am due to excessive bleeding. He had jumped off a truck that criminals firebombed Friday night, injuring his leg. Five of the 13 labourers sitting on boxes in the truck were also burnt.

Meanwhile, Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Abdul Alim, 30, had his wrist blown off in a blast while he was allegedly making crude bombs inside his home in Chandna of Gazipur around 10:15am yesterday.

While fleeing after the incident, police caught him and admitted him to a local hospital. His associate, however, fled, police said.

Bomb making materials were recovered from the house.

Alim and his elder brother Jamir Uddin, who is a Jamaat leader, face charges of subversive activities.

Criminals torched at least nine vehicles in Dhaka and Narayanganj yesterday.

They torched two lorries and a bus in Jatrabari area in the evening. Two cars, and a microbus, owned by television channel Desh TV, were also burnt in Mouchak and Khilgaon. 

In the afternoon, criminals burnt two buses -- one in Kakoli level crossing area and the other at Mirpur-10 intersection, said officials of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, alleged pro-hartal activists torched a bus in Narayanganj city around 2:35pm.

No one was reported injured in the incidents.

Police arrested one person with two petrol bombs at Tejgaon Industrial Area early yesterday.

Criminals also blasted crude bombs at Chandna High School and College in Gazipur creating panic among teachers and students around 9:45am.

Joydevpur Police Station SI Abdul Hamid said a bomb wrapped in tape was hurled at the second floor of the main building of the college.

An intellectually-challenged child, Dolona Akhter, was injured as she was playing with a crude bomb she found on the street near her home at Nama Shyampur of Kadamtoli in the capital around 4:30pm yesterday.

She had treatment at DMCH for splinter injuries.

Police arrested five activists of Jamaat-e-Islami from Rangpur city, Mithapukur, and Pirganj upazilas in connection with vandalising vehicles. They were produced before a Rangpur court that sent them to jail, police said.

In Chittagong, police recovered 17 petrol bombs, 16 homemade bombs, two kilograms of gun powder and four kilograms of splinters from an abandoned garage at Fakirhat of Bandar Police Station Friday night.

Police had detained Imran, 18, of Bandar area on Friday and conducted the drive after gleaning information from him, said police, adding that Imran was involved in Jamaat-Shibir.

The government estimated financial loss of Tk 120,000 crore due to the ongoing political chaos. About 1,200 vehicles have been torched and vandalised so far since January 6.