What do police officials think about crude bomb explosions, bus arson attacks?

Miscreants are carrying out cocktail bomb attacks targeting police establishments. Between Saturday night and Sunday night, cocktail bombs were detonated at three police facilities. Police officials say such incidents attract greater attention when they occur at or near police establishments, whereas similar incidents elsewhere receive less coverage. They believe this is why the attackers are choosing police facilities as their targets.

A police source said cocktail bombs were detonated at the entrance of Pallabi Police Station and in front of the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at around 7:30 pm on Sunday. In total, cocktail bombs were exploded at at least 15 locations across different parts of the capital over the past two days. Earlier, a cocktail bomb was detonated in front of Jatrabari Police Station on Saturday night.

Analysing the patterns of several cocktail bomb attacks, relevant police officials say the attackers move around on motorcycles. They throw the bombs after reaching a convenient location and flee quickly. In attacks targeting police facilities, cocktail bombs have been thrown from flyovers. According to the officials, police do not conduct regular patrols on flyovers, and the attackers are exploiting this opportunity.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Media and Public Relations Division Aktar Hossain told Prothom Alo on Monday that police facilities were being targeted to gain “focus”. Efforts were under way to identify and arrest those responsible, he said.

The DMP believes the series of cocktail bomb explosions and bus arson attacks in Dhaka are intended to carry out sabotage and create panic among the public. Police say several people involved in these incidents have been arrested.

DMP DC Aktar Hossain told journalists on Sunday that police were closely monitoring and investigating each incident. Several people linked to the incidents had already been arrested, he said. He claimed that those arrested included members of a banned organisation and various affiliated wings of a political party.

A police source alleged that fugitive leaders and activists of the Awami League, whose activities are banned, and its affiliated organisations were announcing various programmes on social media from abroad. Party activists in hiding inside the country were allegedly setting vehicles on fire and detonating cocktail bombs as part of these programmes.

The banned Bangladesh Chhatra League has announced a nationwide strike for Tuesday on social media. Police believe incidents of sabotage are taking place around this programme.

According to DMP data, cocktail bombs were detonated at at least 15 locations in different parts of the capital over the past two days. During the same period, three vehicles were set on fire.

According to sources at Khilgaon Police Station, a cocktail bomb was detonated in Block J of Banasree on Monday morning. Khilgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Islam told Prothom Alo that miscreants had detonated a cocktail bomb in the Banasree area. No one was injured in the incident. Efforts were under way to identify and arrest those involved, he said.

A cocktail bomb was detonated on the road in front of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Dhaka at around 5:45pm on Monday. Police detained two people in connection with the incident.

DMP Deputy Commissioner of the Prosecution Division Mohiuddin Mahmud Sohel told Prothom Alo that the two detainees were Faisal and Sukumar Halder, both aged approximately 25 to 27. They would be questioned before legal action was taken, he said.

Later, in a text message, the DMP claimed that two members of a banned organisation had been arrested along with a cocktail bomb and a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, three buses were set on fire in the capital’s Mirpur, Mohakhali and Bhatara areas within 20 hours, from 10pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday.

A source at the Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association said the association was concerned about the incidents of buses and other vehicles being set on fire. It has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking measures to address the situation.

A meeting was also held at the DMP headquarters on Monday with leaders of transport owners’ and workers’ organisations to discuss what steps should be taken.

Twelve people have been arrested over a cocktail bomb attack targeting police in front of the Golf Club in the Cantonment Police Station area of the capital on 5 November. The DMP announced this in a text message on Monday.

According to the DMP, four people were arrested by the police station, five by the Detective Branch (DB) and three by the Special Response Unit (SRU), bringing the total number of arrests to 12.

In a separate text message on Monday, the DMP said a man named Ashraful had been arrested on Sunday night while allegedly attempting to detonate a cocktail bomb in the Rupnagar Police Station area. Police claimed to have recovered a cocktail bomb from him.

Additionally, police arrested another man named Biplob during a raid on a house in Sector 18 of the Turag Police Station area late Sunday night.