Buses torched, crude bombs exploded in Dhaka, police on alert

Several incidents of torching buses and exploding crude bombs occurred in Dhaka on Monday ahead of “lockdown” programme announced online by the Bangladesh Awami League (AL). The activities of AL is currently banned in the country.

The “lockdown” programme is scheduled for Thursday, 13 November, and law-enforcement agencies have adopted strict security measures in connection with it.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said a large number of police personnel have already been deployed across the capital. At least 17,000 policemen will be on duty on Thursday. Members of the Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and intelligence agencies are also carrying out duties.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is due to announce the date for the verdict in a case relating crimes against humanity during the July mass uprising on 13 November. The accused in that case include the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun (an approver/state witness). This is the first case related to the July killings for which a verdict-date announcement is pending.

For several days, posts on Facebook — including pages of the Awami League and some of its leaders — have been calling for a “lockdown” on 13 November.

Police are conducting raids and searches in Dhaka to thwart the programmes of the organisation declared unlawful. In the meantime, a number of clandestine attacks have occurred. On Monday, three buses were set on fire in Dhaka and at least ten cocktail explosions took place at seven locations.

DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali told Prothom Alo on Monday that law-enforcement agencies, including the police, have taken the highest security precautions to stop the Awami League’s programme. Anyone who takes to the streets to carry out the programme will be arrested, he said.

The DMP commissioner added that it is not possible for the Awami League to do anything major at this moment and there is no fear that they will do anything.

One bus-arson incident occurred on Monday evening on Mirpur Road in Dhanmondi, in front of Lab Aid Hospital. The burned bus belonged to a private university; there were no casualties. Earlier today, within half an hour of each other in the early morning, miscreants set fire to two passenger buses in Badda and Shahjadpur areas of Dhaka. No one was harmed in those incidents either.

Rashed bin Khaled, an on-duty officer at the Fire Service control room, said a Victor Paribahan bus at was set ablaze at 5:40 am in Gulshan’s Shahjadpur area. At 6:15 am a bus of Akash Paribahan was torched in front of BRAC University in Badda. The Fire Service received the reports and extinguished the fires.

There were a total of ten cocktail explosions: two locations each in Mirpur and Dhanmondi, and one each in Banglamotor, Mohammadpur and Khilgaon. In four of the places, individuals wearing helmets on motorcycles hurled the cocktails. It is not yet known who threw cocktails at two other locations.

Police said that at about 6:30pm on Monday miscreants detonated a cocktail on the Khilgaon flyover and fled. At about 6:45pm three cocktail explosions occurred in succession in front of Shah Ali Market, Mirpur-10. Police said there were no casualties.

At night in Banglamotor there was a cocktail explosion in front of the National Citizen Party (NCP) office. The NCP said in a statement that at 11:00pm a cocktail exploded in front of their Banglamotor office. Five cocktails were thrown, one of which did not explode. NCP leaders and activists chased while the miscreants were fleeing on a motorcycle and caught two of them and handed them over to police.

Later they handed over a total of five people, including three other suspects, to the police.

Earlier at around 7:00am two cocktail explosions took place on the road and inside the premises of food-product shop of fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter and poet-thinker Farhad Mazhar in Mohammadpur. A security guard at the site said two miscreants on a motorcycle wearing helmets carried out the explosions. No one was injured.

DMP’s Tejgaon division deputy commissioner Md Ibin Mijan told Prothom Alo that police inspected the scenes and are analysing CCTV footage.

Also, at around 3:45am a cocktail exploded in front of the Grameen Bank head office in Mirpur-2. DMP’s Mirpur division assistant commissioner (AC) Md Mizanur Rahman said two miscreants on a motorcycle carried out that explosion while wearing helmets.

He said the miscreants’ faces were not visible, but efforts are underway to identify them.

In addition, two cocktail explosions occurred in front of Midas Center in Dhanmondi, and two in front of Ibn Sina Hospital. No casualties were reported in these incidents either. At both places the cocktails were thrown by persons on motorcycles wearing helmets.

Outside Dhaka, a school bus in Manikganj was set on fire on Monday night. On Sunday night an arson incident took place at the gate of the house of Pritam Sohag, central organiser (northern region) of the NCP in Netrokona.
On Friday at about 10:45pm a cocktail explosion occurred at St Mary’s Cathedral in Kakrail, Dhaka, and at about 2:40am that night a cocktail exploded on the playground of St Joseph’s School in Mohammadpur. The Chief Adviser’s press wing said that police have arrested a 28-year-old youth in connection with recent cocktail attacks in the capital. Preliminary investigation identified him as a member of banned Chhatra League.

Security has been tightened at all churches and religious institutions across the capital. The interim government reiterated its firm commitment to preserving interfaith harmony and communal peace.

At a special meeting of the core committee on law and order at the Ministry of Home Affairs held at the Secretariat on Sunday, authorities directed law-enforcement agencies to remain at the highest alert to prevent the Awami League’s “lockdown” programme. Earlier, at a police meeting led by DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali on Saturday, field officers were told that they would be held strictly accountable if they failed to control processions or gatherings.

DMP sources say 17,000 police personnel will be active at key locations and installations in Dhaka on 13 November to prevent the Awami League’s programme. They will be joined by the army, BGB, RAB, various police units and a large number of intelligence agency personnel.

From Sunday night, checkpoints have been set up at Dhaka’s entry points and other places, and searches of vehicles and suspicious persons have begun. Police patrols have been intensified. Police sources say that fearing that Awami League activists might enter Dhaka to commit illegal acts, raids have been intensified at residential hotels, hostels of educational institutions, messes and slums. Plainclothes officers are gathering intelligence on public transport, and foot, motorcycle and vehicle patrols are being conducted. Efforts are underway to locate possible cocktail makers. Posts on social media calling Awami League supporters to gather are being monitored.

Awami League activists are also being arrested. On Sunday the DMP arrested 25 people for allegedly planning to disrupt law and order by releasing 100,000 gas balloons bearing Awami League slogans near the residence of the Chief Adviser, police said.

Meanwhile, in operations over a 24-hour the police have arrested 34 leaders and activists of the Awami League and allied organisations. The DMP said those arrested include people who participated in hit-and-run processions and those who planned and financed them.

Additional Inspector General (Crime and Operation) Khandakar Rafiqul Islam told Prothom Alo tonight that district police chiefs have been warned to ensure Awami League activists do not come to Dhaka after rumours spread. They have been asked to increase checkpoints, patrols and intelligence surveillance.

In a public notice issued on Monday, the DMP has banned all kinds of meetings, gatherings, mass assemblies, processions, human chains, sit-ins, strikes, rallies, etc., until further notice in front of the official residence of the Chief Justice, Judges’ residences, Judges’ Complex, the main gate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, Mazar Gate, the gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque, the entry gates of International Crimes Tribunal-1 and 2, and in front of the Judicial Administration Training Institute building.

Police Inspector General (IGP) Basharul Alam told Prothom Alo tonight that the police are doing their utmost to control the law-and-order situation. That effort will continue.

He said citizens coming forward to help will make it easier to stop these clandestine cocktail attacks.