People try to comfort widow Selina Begum on her front yard yesterday after she heard the news of her only son getting burnt to death by pickets in Barisal. The photo was taken in Shakarpasha village of Nagarkanda upazila in Faridpur. Photo: Banglar Chokh Fear of arson attacks that have been the ugliest aspect of the ongoing blockade grips long-route travellers and city commuters alike. Showing no
sign of abating, petrol bomb attacks on vehicles by suspected blockaders continued yesterday, the 13th day of the BNP-led alliance's non-stop blockade across the country. A truck helper was burnt to death as alleged pro-blockade pickets hurled a petrol bomb at the vehicle in Uzirpur upazila of Barisal, raising the death toll to 25 in blockade violence. Of the victims, nine died of burn injuries from attacks by suspected blockaders. Alleged blockaders yesterday torched at least 14 vehicles in different parts of the country, according to the fire service. In an arson attack on a bus around noon, two students of Eden College suffered burns at Khejur Bagan near the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. At least 34 victims received treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital alone since the blockade began on January 6, said hospital sources. Advertisement At present, 18 are being treated at the unit. City dwellers, especially those who use public transport, are in a state of panic over arson attacks. Many commuters now avoid buses and take rickshaws to reach their destinations. "Every time I get into a bus, I fear that a petrol bomb may be hurled at the vehicle any time. Things get even more frightening after the evening. It is a scary and suffocating situation we are now in," said Aminul Islam, employee of a private bank. A correspondent of The Daily Star had a scary journey back to Dhaka from Rangamati on Saturday night. As soon as the correspondent boarded the bus, the supervisor asked all passengers to keep the windows shut and the curtains down so that nothing could get inside the vehicle through the windows. He made the same request over and over again since the bus left Rangamati around 7:45pm under police protection. According to Border Guard Bangladesh, at least 27,622 vehicles, including bus, truck, and covered vans, plied different routes under protection of law enforcers from 6:00pm on Saturday to 6:00am yesterday. At least 558 tankers carried oil to various destinations under protection. In Barisal, alleged pro-blockade pickets threw a petrol bomb at a Faridpur-bound truck in Bamrail area on Barisal-Dhaka Highway around 6:30am. As the truck caught fire, the driver, Ripon, lost control of the vehicle which then fell into a roadside ditch. Ripon managed to get out of the truck but his helper, Sohag Biswas, 18, from Faridpur, got trapped inside. Sohag's charred body was recovered later, said Nurul Islam, officer-in-charge of Wazirpur Police Station. With burn injuries, Ripon was admitted to Faridpur General Hospital. Shathi, a student of Eden College, being taken into the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday, the 13th day of a blockade being enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. She and two other fellow college mates were injured after alleged pickets hurled a petrol bomb in the bus they were in near the Jatiya Sangsad. PHOTO: Star, Banglar Chokh In Dhaka, alleged blockaders riding a motorbike hurled petrol bombs at a Bikalpa Paribahan bus around 1:30pm, and fled setting the vehicle on fire. Sharmin Akter and Sathi Akter, both first-year students of Islamic Studies at Eden College, suffered burns and were whisked off to the DMCH. Their classmates -- Maymuna Akhter and Helena Akhter Mukti -- were also hurt while trying to get off the burning bus in a hurry. The girls, who sat in the last row of the bus, were returning home from the college. Sharmin suffered 8 percent burns and Sathi 3 percent on their legs, said Partha Shankar Pal, resident surgeon at the DMCH burn unit. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid went to the hospital to see the victims around 3:30pm. Earlier, Human Rights Commission Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman visited another burn victim, police constable Morshed, and demanded that the arsonists be brought to book immediately. In Patiya of Chittagong, pro-blockade pickets threw crude bombs at a bus carrying a bridal party to the port city around 10:00pm. A young couple -- Ripon Dhar and Munni Dhar -- and their five-year-old child Dipayan were injured in the attack in College Bazar area, Refayet Ullah, officer-in-charge of Patiya Police Station, told our Chittagong Correspondent. The injured were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Moreover, suspected blockaders boarded a bus posing as passengers and set it alight in the CEPZ area around 10:00am. They quickly fled the scene, said police. There was no report of any casualty. Meanwhile, at least 20 people, including four policemen, were injured as BNP activists clashed with ruling Awami League men at Kandirpar and Chatipatti in Comilla. Police fired several shots and tear gas canisters to bring the situation under control. In a separate incident in Gaibandha, three people suffered injuries as alleged blockaders vandalised a truck at Balachira on Gaibandha-Sunderganj road. Law enforcers yesterday arrested around 150 people in several districts for alleged involvement in blockade violence. They held 49 people, including 31 BNP-Jamaat men, in Bogra, 41 in Satkhira, 21 in Gaibandha, 10 in Jhenidah, nine in Chittagong, an upazila vice-chairman in Narayanganj, and two JCD men in Pirojpur. Joint forces of police, BGB and Rab continued their drives in several districts to arrest “criminals involved in subversive activities”. Talking to reporters at the Secretariat, State Minister for Home affairs Asaduzzaman Khan ruled out the possibility of including army personnel in the joint forces. "Such a situation has not arisen yet. There is no question of deploying the army. Police, Rab and BGB are enough," he said. "Braving attacks, our law enforcers are working round-the-clock. I think you will see good results in the next few days." Meantime, police filed a case against 40 people, including BNP leaders Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Barkatullah Bulu and Amanullah Aman, with Mohammadpur Police Station in connection with an arson attack on a bus that left five passengers injured on Saturday night. Another case was lodged with Ramna Police Station accusing 25 identified and several unidentified people of carrying out a bomb attack on a police bus near Matsya Bhaban on Saturday. Thirteen policemen were wounded in the attack.
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