Anger taken out on train

People protesting the murder of Narsingdi Municipality Mayor Lokman Hossain set intercity train Egaro Sindhu Express on fire in the district town yesterday. Lokman was shot dead in Narsingdi Tuesday night. Photo: courtesy

An intercity train was set on fire in Narsingdi town yesterday during demonstrations by the Bangladesh Chhatra League to protest the murder of the mayor of the municipality, Lokman Hossain.
No reports of casualties were filed on the train fire. Meanwhile, several passengers received minor injuries while jumping off the burning train, said Maran Chandra Das, station master of Narsingdi Railway Station.
The protestors set six bogies of the Kishoreganj-bound train Egaro Sindhu Express ablaze in Chinishpur area of the town around 10:15am, he said. The pickets also barred fire fighters from reaching the spot.
When a team of Rab-11 rushed to the scene, the protestors hurled brick chips at their vehicle, reports our Narsingdi correspondent.
Lokman Hossain was shot in the Narsingdi town Awami League office on Sadar Road on Tuesday night. He succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 10:30pm the same night.
The family of the assassinated mayor has not yet filed any case in connection with the murder. Talking to The Daily Star, Lokman's younger brother Shamim Newaz said a case would be filed following discussions among family members.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday condemned the killing of the Narsingdi mayor. She directed the authorities concerned to bring the culprits to book, reports UNB.
In 2008-2009, the government honoured Lokman with a gold medal for his performance as the best mayor. He was twice elected mayor of Narsingdi municipality.
Meanwhile, police and the Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Khairul Kabir Khokon, president of Narsingdi unit BNP, at his Rampura residence in the capital at around 3:00am yesterday in connection with the murder.
Khokon was taken to Narsingdi, said Ashrafuzzaman, senior assistant superintendent (public relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Protesting the arrest, the BNP demanded the immediate release of Khokon and claimed that Lokman had been killed over internal feuding in the ruling party.
Meanwhile, BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir through a press release yesterday termed the arrest of Khokon unjust and politically motivated. He strongly condemned the arrest and five-day remand prayer against the Narsingdi unit BNP president.
On the other hand, senior leaders of the ruling Awami League brushed aside the allegations of internal conflict as the reason behind the killing. “We can't say anything without an investigation, but we identify the incident as a planned murder,” Mahbubul Alam Hanif, AL joint general secretary, told The Daily Star.
Following Lokman's murder, the Chhatra League had enforced a 72-hour hartal from 6:00am yesterday (Wednesday). But after five hours, local activists of the pro-ruling party students' body postponed the strike till 6:00pm.
However, the Chhatra League yesterday called off the hartal following the prime minister's assurance of arresting the perpetrators of the crime as soon as possible. On behalf of the prime minister, Mahbubul Alam Hanif conveyed the message to tens of thousands of people gathered to attend Lokman's namaz-e-janaza at Moslehuddin Bhuiyan Stadium around 5:00pm.
“The killers will be tried under the speedy trial process,” Hanif said on behalf of the prime minister.
Hanif was accompanied by four other AL leaders. After the namaz-e-janaza they visited Lokman's Bashail home to console his bereaved family. Talking to The Daily Star Hanif said, “We have asked the law enforcement agencies to arrest the killers irrespective of their political affiliation.”
Another namaz-e-janaza was arranged for Lokman at the Poura Eidgah Maidan. Agitated people burned tyres and barricaded different roads in Narsingdi by piling up logs across them.
At about 12:15am yesterday, Lokman's body was taken to his home, where his party leaders and activists gathered to pay their final tributes. He was buried at the poura graveyard. Lokman had established the graveyard in 2008.
Earlier in the morning, leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associate bodies brought out separate processions in the town.
The road barricades during the hartal caused disruption in vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Movement on the highway remained suspended for 14 hours until it resumed in the afternoon. Many Dhaka-bound buses from Sylhet took a detour through Comilla to reach the capital. Normalcy on the roads returned around 10:00pm.
Meanwhile, train communications on the Dhaka-Kishoreganj and Dhaka-Noakhali routes remained suspended from 10:00pm Tuesday and resumed at around 5:00am yesterday, only to be disrupted again by the torching of the train in Narsingdi town. Train services eventually resumed at 8:00pm.
Akkasuddin Bhuiyan, Narsingdi superintendent of police, said additional contingents of police, DB and Rab have been deployed at different strategic points of the district to fend off further untoward incidents.
MH Nuruzzaman, additional deputy inspector of Dhaka range, and Lt Col Mostafa Kamal, additional DIG of Rab-11, reached the district on Tuesday night on learning of Lokman's death.
Mayors declare work abstention, human chain
The mayors and staff of municipalities across the country will observe work abstention for an hour and form human chains today to register their protest at the killing of Lokman Hossain.
Prof Shamim Al Raji, secretary general of Municipal Association of Bangladesh, announced the programme at a press conference at Natore Press Club yesterday afternoon.
According to the schedule, the work abstention will begin at 4:00pm while human chains will be formed for half-an-hour at every municipality at 10:00am, reports our Natore correspondent.
Besides, black flags will be hoisted at municipality offices and mourners will wear black badges in memory of the slain mayor.
The association demanded the immediate arrest and punishment of the killers and held out the threat of a tougher movement after Eid-ul-Azha if its demands were not met.