6 vehicles torched in capital

A man peeps inside a private car after pro-hartal activists of BNP vandalise its windshield at capital's Nayapaltan on Tuesday. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Miscreants torched six vehicles in different parts of the capital on the eve of a countrywide daylong hartal (shutdown) on Tuesday.

The pro-hartal activists resorted to the arson in Dhanmandi, Mohammadpur, Mohakhali and Motijheel areas.

Miscreants torched a passenger bus near passport office in Agargaon around 8:00pm.

A microbus was torched by unknown criminals at Road No: 15 in Dhanmandi around 9:10pm.

Pro-hartal activists torched a human hauler around 8:20pm at Satmasjid Road in Mohammadpur.

A private car was torched near AyeshaMemorialHospital around 11:40am, reported our correspondent quoting an official of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, private television channel Independent reported that a covered van was torched in Mohakhali.

Another vehicle was also set ablaze near Notre DameCollege in Motijheel, another private television channel said.

The BNP-led 18-party alliance called the shutdown for Wednesday demanding withdrawal of all cases against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Tarique, the elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and late president Ziaur Rahman, was accused in 17 cases.

A Dhaka on Sunday cleared the way for the Anti-Corruption Commission to seek the help of Interpol in arresting Tarique in connection with a money laundering case.

Tarique has been in exile in London since September 2008, when he obtained bail in other cases filed against him.

He was arrested in 2007 during an anti-graft crackdown conducted by the military-backed caretaker government of the time.

On August 8, 2011, the court framing money laundering charges against Tarique and issued an arrest warrant against him in the case.

Police were, however, unable to arrest him as he was, and continues to be, abroad.