Parked bus set on fire in Siddhirganj, case filed against 18 named accused
Photo: Collected
A case has been filed against 18 people, including several leaders and activists of the local Awami League and its associate bodies, on charges of setting fire to a bus kept by the roadside in Siddhirganj of Narayanganj. Siddhirganj Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Mojibur Rahman confirmed the matter on Wednesday (23 September) afternoon.
The case statement says the incident took place at around 1:30am on 21 September on the west side of the Godnail SO Eidgah ground in ward No 6 under Siddhirganj Police Station, in an area adjacent to the Siddhirganj-Chashara road.
Bus owner and complainant in the case Md Al-Amin said he operates a bus of ‘Nilachal’ Paribahan with his business partner Atikur Rahman.
According to the case statement, as on every day, the driver and helper left the bus parked by the roadside on the west side of the Godnail SO Eidgah ground at around 10:00pm on 20 September. The door of the bus was locked and the windows were closed.
The complainant alleges that at around 1:30am the following night he learnt from locals that a group of people had attacked the bus, vandalised it and then set it on fire. On receiving the news, he went to the spot and found the bus in a burnt state.
The case statement says the complainant learnt from locals that the other accused, led by Liton, who is mentioned as the president of Siddhirganj thana Tanti League, were involved in the incident. The complaint further says the attackers took position on the road with sticks and local weapons, chanted various slogans and at one stage set the bus on fire.
The complainant claims the fire caused damage of about Tk 5 lakh to the bus.
Besides Liton, the case statement names 18 people, including Asadullah, Md Shahidullah, who is mentioned as the former general secretary of Siddhirganj thana Swechchhasebak League, Zaman, Rakib, Siam Hossain, Natia Munna, Pavel, Anwar Hossain, Mostafa Hossain, Jasim Uddin, Saifuddin, Abdul, Masum Billah Prithibi, Abul Kalam Abu, Arif Hossain and Swapan. Apart from them, another 8 to 10 unidentified people have been made accused.
The case statement further claims that at the time of the incident the accused chanted various slogans, including ‘Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu’ and ‘Sheikh Hasina will come, Bangladesh will smile’. However, the truth of these allegations could not immediately be verified independently. The case statement says police went to the spot, seized the burnt bus and took it to the police station.
About the case, Inspector (Investigation) Mojibur Rahman said, ‘Efforts are under way to identify those involved by reviewing CCTV footage. The process of taking legal action over the incident is ongoing.’
