Swechchhasebak Dal leader expelled for attack on Shohagh Paribahan office

At least seven people, including the brother of the owner of Shohagh Paribahan, were stabbed during an attack by miscreants at the bus company’s office in Malibagh, Dhaka, on Wednesday night.

The attackers also vandalised the transport company's office and the owner’s residence. Following the incident, Swechchhasebak Dal leader Billal Hossain has been expelled from the party. Two people were arrested in connection with the attack on Thursday.

A video circulating after the attack shows two individuals standing outside the Shohagh Paribahan office at 11:07 pm on Wednesday. A group of attackers armed with machetes, knives, and iron rods then launched the assault. Several people accompanying the attackers were seen clapping and cheering. The attackers also vandalised the ticket counters, assaulted a staff member, and looted bundles of cash from the drawers.

Shohagh Paribahan owner Md. Faruk Talukdar told Prothom Alo that a company bus arrived outside the Shohag Paribahan office near Malibagh Railgate on Wednesday night. After the passengers disembarked, two men were smoking on the roadside. When three staff members asked them to move and smoke elsewhere, they reacted angrily.

Faruk Talukdar alleged that one of the smokers made a phone call shortly afterward. Within minutes, at least 50 assailants armed with machetes, other knives, rods, and sticks stormed the transport company's office and assaulted the staff, including his brother Ali Hasan Talukdar. The attack was allegedly led by Billal Hossain, former convener and president of Swechchhasebak Dal of ward no. 19. Attempts to reach Billal Hossain by phone were unsuccessful.

Dhaka Metropolitan South President Zahid Uddin told Prothom Alo that Billal, who had been the convener of ward 19 Swechchhasebak Dal, was expelled from the party’s primary membership for life following the incident.

Shohagh Paribahan security officer Dewan Md Al Amin filed a case at Ramna Police Station on Thursday afternoon, naming 18 people including Billal, with another 18–20 unidentified individuals as accused.

According to the FIR, accused Akash and Rumon were smoking near the ticket counters, and after being asked to move, they became angry. Led by Billal, the other accused, armed with sharp weapons, smashed the glass of the security guard’s room in front of the garage of the Shohag Paribahan owner’s house. During the attack, Ali Hasan Talukdar, driver Masud, and employees Hasan Tapon, Farhad Hossain, Naimur Rahman Adib, and Masud were repeatedly stabbed. The attackers vandalised two ticket counters, causing damage worth Tk 500,000, and looted Tk 17,570 from ticket sales.

When contacted on Thursday night, Ramna Police Officer-in-Charge Golam Faruk told Prothom Alo that two accused, Parvez and Zainal, identified from video footage, were arrested following the incident.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam said operations are ongoing to apprehend all involved.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association issued a statement expressing concern over the attack, vandalism, and looting at Shohagh Paribahan’s office, calling for the arrest of those responsible. The Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Federation issued a similar statement.