Arson attacks on court, govt offices

Government offices continued to face pro-hartal supporters' wrath as two offices in Barisal and another in Jhenidah were torched yesterday, the fifth day of the BNP-led combine's hartal.

In Barisal, unidentified criminals set fire to a room of the court building inside the compound of Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court in the city around 9:00pm.

Witnesses said the fire spread quickly to another room of the tin-shed building.

On information, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the flames. Many important documents of the office were burnt, said a fire service man.

In another incident, the divisional office of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education on Gora Chand Das Road in the city came under an arson attack early yesterday.

Mustafizur Rahman, director of the office, said criminals threw a petrol bomb inside the office around midnight after breaking a window.

Computer monitor, printer, furniture and documents of the room were damaged, he said.

Abu Taher, a sub-inspector of Barisal Kotwali Police Station, said two bottles used for carrying petrol were recovered from the spot.

A general diary was lodged in this connection.

In Jhalakathi, criminals torched the Ponabalia union land office building in Sadar upazila early yesterday, gutting land-related documents.

Four rooms out of five of the building and all its furniture were completely burnt, said Majid Ali, superintendent of police in Jhalakathi.

Abul Hossen, a night guard of the area, said he saw smoke billowing from the office building before dawn.

"I rushed there and saw fire and called people to douse the blaze," he said.

A case was under process to be lodged with Jhalakathi Police Station in this connection, the SP said, adding that the pro-BNP chairman and two members of the union were detained for interrogation.

In Dhaka, a crude bomb exploded at the corridor of Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, spreading panic among people. None was wounded in the explosion, police said.

The bomb went off with a bang at the court building's ground floor around 4:10pm, said Aminur Rahman, assistant commissioner of police (prosecution) posted at the CMM Court.

Chief Justice SK Sinha visited the spot and asked the police to beef up security in and around the court.

He also asked the law enforcers to allow the litigants into the court premises after checking them, a metropolitan magistrate told reporters.

Alleged pickets torched a bus parked at Biswa Road in Mughda around 7:00am.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh detained a man, Dulal Mia, while he attempted to blast a crude bomb at Gate-4 of BGB headquarters in the capital.

In Rajshahi, alleged pickets exploded a handmade bomb in front of the district Central Jail around 9:00pm, leaving a prison guard injured.

A pedestrian was injured as criminals blasted a crude bomb on Nawabpur road in the capital around 7:30pm.

In Munshiganj, three people were injured when a crude bomb they were allegedly making went off at a house in Sadar upazila around 9:00pm. They were admitted to the DMCH, said Sentu Das, assistant sub-inspector of DMCH Police Camp.

In Cox's Bazar, alleged hartal supporters vandalised eight vehicles at Pekua area between 8:00pm to 10:00pm, police said.

At least 86 people have so far been killed and over 1,200 vehicles were torched and vandalised since the BNP-led 20-party alliance began its blockade on January 6. 

Most of the deceased were victims of mindless arson attacks on vehicles.

LONG-ROUTE BUSES RESUME PLYING AT NIGHT

Night-time services of long-route buses resumed yesterday after remaining suspended for over a month amid arson attacks.

The move came after a meeting between the State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan and transport leaders at the home ministry yesterday.

“The bus operators have decided to resume night-time services from tonight [last night],” said Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity.

On February 9, the authorities had decided not to operate buses on highways after 9:00pm as arson attacks on vehicles continued unabated across the country.

"The government will beef up security on the highways at night and provide police protection if the bus operators seek it," said Enayet Ullah after the meeting.

Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation, told The Daily Star last night that long-route buses started plying towards their destinations from 9:oopm.

[Our correspondents from the districts concerned contributed to the report]