The intense blaze and smoke woke Nazma Begum from her sleep. It was around 2:00 am. Fire had broken out inside the house. In that fire, her seven-year-old daughter, Ayesha Akter, was trapped. Standing amid the raging flames, little Ayesha screamed, “Abbu, take me, take me!” Even seeing this with her own eyes, her mother could not reach her. Sitting beside the burning room, she could only wail and repeat those words.
Sitting in front of the burnt house, Nazma Begum wept inconsolably. Even after her tears had dried, her cries did not stop. Between sobs, she recounted, “After the fire broke out, the elder daughter and the middle daughter were rescued through a gap in the tin walls. My youngest daughter kept screaming—‘Abbu, take me, take me!’ But we could do nothing. Right before my eyes, she was burned.” At times, she would cry out, “Ayesha, my child. Where have you gone?” Eventually, the grief overwhelmed her and she fainted.
A crowd was seen outside the house of BNP leader Belal Hossain in the Sutaragopta area of Charmanasa village under Bhabaniganj union in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila on Saturday morning. The house was set on fire late the previous night. At the time, Belal Hossain, his wife Nazma Begum and their three daughters were inside. He managed to get his wife and two daughters out but was unable to rescue the youngest child.
Belal Hossain, BNP joint organising secretary of Bhabaniganj Union and a fertiliser and pesticide trader in Sutaragopta market, described the incident as an act of sabotage. Late at night, around 2:00 am, assailants set fire to his house by pouring petrol after locking the doors. The fire claimed the life of his seven-year-old daughter Ayesha, while his two other daughters, Beethi Akter, 17, and Smriti Akter, 14, suffered severe burns and were sent to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery for treatment. Belal himself was also injured and is receiving care at the district hospital. The blaze completely destroyed his house. Ayesha’s body was laid to rest in the family graveyard in the afternoon.
Belal Hossain, receiving treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, told Prothom Alo, “Both doors of the house were locked. I had to break open the tin fence myself to get my two daughters and wife out. At that time, my youngest daughter was screaming, but I couldn’t see anything because of the intensity of the fire and smoke. As the flames grew stronger, I was unable to enter the house.”
Family members and local residents said that after having dinner, all members of Belal’s family had gone to sleep. Around 2:00 am, assailants locked the door, set the house on fire, and fled. Pouring petrol caused the flames to spread rapidly in all directions.
Neighbour Abdul Qader said, “Nothing this brutal has ever happened in this area. We rushed to the scene when the fire broke out, but the flames were so intense that no one could get near.”
Habibur Rahman, joint convener of the district BNP, said, “The assailants set fire by pouring petrol, and had previously locked the doors. This was a planned act by the attackers. We demand the swift arrest of all those involved in the incident.”
Officer-in-charge of Laxmipur Sadar model police station, Md Wahid Parvez, said, “The incident is extremely tragic. We are investigating with the utmost seriousness whether it was carried out deliberately. If it was a planned act, we are examining all aspects—who was involved, how it was carried out, and for what purpose.”
After receiving treatment at Laxmipur Sadar Hospital, Belal attended his daughter’s janaza and burial. The grieving father said, “The police must find out who set fire to my house. At the very least, justice for my daughter’s killing must be ensured.”