5 including comic Rony injured in gas balloon blasts at Gazipur police event

Five people, including standup comedian Abu Hena Rony, were injured in gas balloon blasts during Gazipur Metropolitan Police's anniversary programme last evening (September 16, 2022).

The blasts took place on the ground of Gazipur district police lines at around 6:00pm yesterday, reports our local correspondent quoting GMP Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam.

GMP Commissioner claimed that Rony received five percent burn injuries.

Rafiqul Islam, residential medical officer of Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital in Gazipur, said five injured--Abu Hena Rony, Mosharraf Hossain, Zillur Rahman, Imran Hossain and Rubel Hossain -- were taken to the hospital.

Of them, Rony, Mosharraf and Zillur were shifted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with critical injuries, he added.

GMP Assistant Commissioner (DB and Media) Abu Sayem Nayan said some gas balloons were kept on the stage during the fourth anniversary programme of GMP.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was the chief guest at the event, failed to fly them despite several attempts, he said, adding that the balloons might not have flown due to error.

Later, the home minister and other guests went to the main stage and the unexploded balloons were taken back stage.

Some minutes later a loud explosion was heard, the police official said, adding that those along with some other balloons went off, leaving five persons injured.

The injured were rushed to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital.

Presided over by GMP Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam, the programme was also attended by State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Hasan Russel, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Public Security Division of home ministry Akhter Hossain, and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, among others.