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A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ward office was torched in Khagrachhari amid a nationwide blockade called by the banned Chhatra League, as Bangladesh witnessed a fresh wave of violence across several districts.
According to The Daily Star, the violence included arson attacks, crude bomb explosions and attempts to disrupt road connectivity. A bus driver was also killed after miscreants allegedly set fire to a parked bus in Faridpur while he was sleeping inside. At least four buses were torched across the country, while police arrested 11 people and detained six others during overnight security operations, according to the newspaper. In Khagrachhari, unidentified assailants set fire to a BNP ward office in Guimara upazila around 3:30 am on Monday, destroying the building. Six people affiliated with the Awami League and Chhatra League were detained on suspicion of involvement, Guimara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sohrawardy said. Meanwhile, in Faridpur, a 60-year-old bus driver, identified as Md Kalachan Sheikh, was killed after miscreants allegedly set fire to a parked bus while he was sleeping inside. He died from smoke inhalation before he could be rescued, Faridpur Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mahmudul Hasan told The Daily Star. Separate incidents of bus arson were reported in Dhamrai and Savar, where firefighters brought the blazes under control without any casualties. In Gopalganj, crude bomb explosions were reported outside several government establishments, including the Government Zilla School, Government Women's College, District Shilpakala Academy and Regional Passport Office. Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Md Habibullah said eight people had been arrested in connection with the incidents. Police also recovered 15 crude bombs and seized seven motorcycles. Chhatra League activists allegedly attempted to obstruct the Dhaka-Khulna highway by setting fires and cutting down trees. Police subsequently removed the trees and restored normal traffic movement. In Chattogram's Hathazari area, three alleged Chhatra League activists were arrested while reportedly vandalising two buses on the Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway. Police also recovered two petrol bombs from them. Meanwhile, a crude bomb explosion at a Grameen Bank branch in Anwara triggered a fire that damaged files and documents. A security guard managed to bring the blaze under control. In Rangamati, Chhatra League activists allegedly locked the main gates of a court and three educational institutions under cover of darkness. Rangamati Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Jasim Uddin said police were investigating the incident after a video showing the padlocks circulated on social media. The incidents come amid heightened tensions surrounding the nationwide blockade called by the banned student organisation. They have been demanding removal of the ban on them and thier parent organisation, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League. (ANI)
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