Faridpur bus driver dies after vehicle set on fire, arson in 3 other districts

Miscreants set fire to passenger buses, a covered van and a pedal van in separate incidents in Gazipur, Faridpur, Bogura and Manikganj. The incidents took place between Monday evening and late at night.

In Faridpur, a bus driver, Kalachan, 60, who was sleeping inside a bus when it was set on fire, fell ill from smoke inhalation and died.

Two passenger buses and a covered van were set on fire in Kaliakair of Gazipur, a bus in Manikganj, and a pedal van in Sherpur of Bogura. The vehicles were damaged, while the incidents spread panic among drivers and passengers travelling on the roads.

At around 1:45 am early on Tuesday, miscreants set fire to a bus parked beside the Dhaka–Barishal Highway in the Goalchamot area near the New Bus Terminal in Faridpur town. The driver, Kalachan, fell ill and was taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where phycisians declared him dead.

Kalachan was a resident of Diknagar village in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj. His father was late Nuruddin Sheikh.

The burnt bus was named Kishore Tanmoy and operated in Faridpur town. It was owned by Tapan Kumar Das, 50, a resident of the Rathkhola Sinpara area of the town.

Faridpur Fire Service Senior Station Master Sribas Baroi said they found the bus ablaze when they arrived at the scene. They brought the fire under control after 15 to 20 minutes of effort. During this time, the bus driver fell ill and was taken to hospital.

Azmir Hossain, additional superintendent of police and officer-in-charge of the Sadar Circle in Faridpur, said three people arrived on a motorcycle and set fire to the bus. One of them poured petrol on it and set it alight, he said.

Kalachan, who was sleeping inside the bus, did not suffer burns but fell ill from smoke inhalation. CCTV footage from roads across the town is being collected. Police have launched an operation to identify and arrest those involved in the incident, added the police official.

In Kaliakair of Gazipur, two passenger buses and a covered van were set on fire within a few hours. An Ajmeri Paribahan bus was set on fire early on Monday morning. Then at around 6:30 pm, miscreants set fire to another Ajmeri Paribahan bus that had been left parked near Kajoli Farm in Chandra area.

A few hours later, at around 11:30 pm, a covered van was set on fire in the Hajibari area on the Kaliakair–Nabinagar Highway. The front section of the van was left burnt.

According to the fire service and local sources, the covered van had been parked beside the highway near the Walton factory in Chandra area. Local residents spotted the fire and tried to extinguish it.

Two fire service units later arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control. It was extinguished at around midnight. Tarikul Islam, an official of the Kaliakair Fire Service and Civil Defence, confirmed the matter.

Kaliakair Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahidul Islam said an operation had been launched to identify and arrest those involved in all three incidents of arson.

Miscreants set fire to a pedal van parked in the Garidaha Bus Stand area of Sherpur upazila in Bogura at around 7:15 pm on Monday. Part of the van and several empty jute sacks kept on it were burnt near the flyover to the north of the area.

A sub-inspector (SI) of Sherpur Police Station said three to four unidentified people set fire to the van and left. The incident spread panic among drivers of vehicles travelling along the highway.

Meanwhile, a video showing the van being set on fire has circulated on Facebook. Sherpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ekramul Hossain said he visited the scene at around 9:00 pm after receiving information about the incident.

The van and the empty jute sacks damaged by the fire were later recovered and taken into police custody at around 11:30 pm. No one has come to the police station claiming ownership of the van. Legal action will be taken following an investigation into the incident, the OC added.

Miscreants set fire to a Swadhinata Paribahan bus parked beside the Dhaka–Aricha Highway in the Manikganj Bus Stand area at around 12:30 am early on Tuesday.

The fire service said the damage to the bus amounted to several hundreds of thousands taka. No one was injured. The bus is owned by Mozzafar Hossain from Dergram Nabagram in Manikganj municipal area.

Miaraz Uddin, senior station officer of the Manikganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, told Prothom Alo that the fire was brought under control after around 20 minutes of effort.

Meanwhile, nine crude bombs were exploded at five locations in Manikganj town and nearby areas between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Monday.

Abdullah Al Mamun, additional superintendent of police at the District Special Branch (DSB), said the explosions took place in front of Manikganj Government High School playground, at the bus stand, at Golra Stand, at Noyadingi in Saturia, and on Shaheed Rafiq Road in the town.

On Tuesday morning, the fire-damaged bus was seen parked at the Manikganj bus terminal. However, traffic in the bus stand area and on the Dhaka–Aricha Highway was moving normally.

(The staff correspondent in Faridpur and the correspondents in Sherpur (Bogura), Gazipur and Manikganj assisted in preparing this report.)