Bomb blasts kill 1
A BNP activist was killed and at least eight people, including five school children, were injured in two separate bomb attacks on Independence Day programmes in two northern districts yesterday.
In Chapainawabganj, two bombs exploded when people of different political parties went to place wreaths at Shaheed Minar on Shibganj upazila parishad premises early yesterday to mark the Independence Day.
According to witnesses, the hand-made bombs went off when Awami League men were placing wreaths and members of the BNP were waiting beside for their turn. One bomb exploded where the BNP men were standing and the other behind the Shaheed Minar.
The blasts injured four people -- Asaduzzaman Sujon, 25, Abul Bashar, 36, Nurul Islam, 40, and Toufique, 25.
They were rushed to Shibganj upazila health complex where Sujon's condition deteriorated. Then he was whisked off to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to injuries around 2:00am.
The deceased was the son of Shariful Islam of Chaturpur in Shibganj municipality area.
Police recovered the body and sent it to Chapainawabganj Adhunik Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station Ashiqur Rahman said police were suspecting that the deceased was carrying the bombs which accidentally exploded.
Following the incident, angry BNP men vandalised Shibganj upazila unit AL office and torched a motorcycle the same night.
Shahjahan Mia, president of the district BNP, alleged that the AL men carried out the bomb attack.
However, Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of the upazila AL denied the allegation and blamed the attack on the BNP men.
The BNP has called a daylong hartal in the district for today to protest the attack and killing of their activist.
Meanwhile in Kurigram, five female school students were injured when a crude bomb went off during a programme to celebrate the Independence Day in Phulbari upazila yesterday.
The injured were identified as Nisha, Ayesha, Zahura, Labanya and Reshma. They all were class nine students of Jashimia Model High School.
The students were giving a display with the national flag when the bomb exploded near them on the school ground, according to Mahbubul Haque Saud, assistant teacher of the school.
The injured were rushed to Phulbari Upazila Health Complex. All the five girls suffered face injuries, the teacher said.
Abed Ali, headmaster of the school, blamed "anti-independence forces" in the area for the attack and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.
Contacted, the officer-in-charge of Phulbari Police Station said they were investigating the attack and would take steps following the probe.
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