Fire at NCP MP Nusrat’s family home in Kushtia; petrol bomb attack alleged
A fire broke out at the family home of Nusrat Tabassum, an MP elected to a reserved seat for women and a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), in Kushtia. NCP leaders have alleged that petrol bombs were hurled at the house.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on Wednesday at Nusrat’s ancestral home in Bagoyan village in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia.
Delwar Hossain, additional superintendent of police (Bheramara Circle), told Prothom Alo that firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving the report and brought the blaze under control at around 1.50 am. By then, however, considerable damage had been caused. Five of the eight rooms in the single-storey tin-roofed house were gutted. Two goats were also burnt to death.
Police officer Delwar Hossain added that Nusrat Tabassum’s parents live on the second floor of a separate three-storey building, 10 to 15 yards away from the house. That building was unaffected by the fire. No member of the MP’s family sustained burn injuries.
Nusrat Tabassum is an NCP joint convener and a member of the party’s Political Council, its highest policy-making body. She is also a member of the 13th parliament representing a reserved seat for women.
In a Facebook post, the NCP’s media cell alleged that Awami League goons had hurled petrol bombs at her house. Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the party’s spokesperson, also alleged in a Facebook post that a petrol bomb attack had been carried out on Nusrat Tabassum’s home.
When Prothom Alo called Nusrat Tabassum’s personal mobile number for comment, the call was answered by Wahiduzzaman, the NCP’s deputy secretary for youth and employment affairs. At around 2:00 am, he said that he was travelling from Dhaka to Kushtia in the same vehicle as MP Nusrat Tabassum after they received news of the incident.
Describing the attack, Wahiduzzaman told Prothom Alo, “Shortly after midnight, the ancestral and permanent residence of the MP in Bagoyan village of Daulatpur upazila, Kushtia, was targeted. Assailants arrived on motorcycles and hurled four petrol bombs in succession at the house from the road. Two landed on the tin roof, one in the livestock shed and another in the courtyard.”
Wahiduzzaman said the house had sustained considerable damage in the attack. Nusrat Tabassum’s parents, cousins, two sisters-in-law and other family members were present at the time. They were also struck by the attack and sustained injuries of varying degrees.
He added that the fire spread to the shed, killing several livestock after they were burnt.
Police were unable to immediately confirm whether petrol bombs had been used in the attack.
Additional Superintendent of Police Delwar Hossain said the cause of the fire had not yet been established. Fire service personnel from Bheramara were at the scene. He said an investigation would establish how the fire started.