Police find no ‘credible’ evidence of sabotage

As of Sunday noon, no case has been filed at Lakshmipur Sadar police station in connection with a fire at the home of a BNP leader. Police say they have not found credible evidence that the incident resulted from sabotage.

The fire service has expressed a similar view. However, the BNP leader claims that the door was locked from the outside, preventing him from escaping.

The matter was disclosed in a press release signed on Saturday night by Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi, additional superintendent of police (Administration and Finance).

The release stated that, family members were quoted as saying that media reports and social media posts claimed miscreants had acted in a coordinated manner, locked the door of the house, poured petrol around the place and set it on fire.

However, preliminary investigations have found no credible evidence linking the incident to any miscreants or any ‘mob’.

The police have requested journalists to provide any evidence related to the incident to the police. The press release further stated, “The cause of the fire, whether accidental or deliberate, is currently being investigated thoroughly.

If evidence is found that the house was set on fire after locking the door, necessary legal action will be taken in accordance with the law and details will be disclosed.”

On Friday night, allegations emerged that the house of a BNP leader named Belal Hossain was set on fire by locking the door and pouring petrol in the Sutaragopta area of Char Monsa village under Bhabaniganj union in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.

His seven year old daughter, Ayesha Akhtar, was burnt to death in the fire. Belal Hossain, 50 and his two other daughters, Bithi Akhtar, 17 and Smriti Akhtar, 14, sustained burn injuries.

Bithi Akhtar and Smriti Akhtar have been referred to the National Institute of burn and plastic surgery for treatment, while Belal is receiving treatment at the Sadar hospital. Belal Hossain’s house was completely destroyed by the fire.

Belal Hossain is the assistant organising secretary of the Bhabaniganj union BNP in Lakshmipur and a fertiliser and pesticide trader at Sutaragopta Bazar.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday afternoon while undergoing treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar hospital, he said, “Both doors of the house were locked.

As a result, I escaped by breaking through the corrugated tin wall of the house with my wife and two daughters. At that time, my younger daughter was screaming for her to be brought out.

But due to the intensity of the fire and the smoke, I could not see anything. At one point, when the fire became extremely intense, I could not re-enter the house.”

However, the fire service has not found evidence to support Belal’s account.

When asked, Ranjit Kumar Das, station officer of the Lakshmipur fire service said, “After receiving the information, we went to the scene and recovered the body of a child. We are not yet certain whether the fire was set after locking the door. We did not find any such evidence at the scene.”

Mohammad Wahid Parvez, officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar police station said, “No case has been filed in this incident so far. It has not yet been confirmed whether both doors of the dwelling were locked. The incident is being investigated with due importance. Multiple police teams are working on the investigation.”