BD opposition members arrested over train fire

Bangladesh police on Saturday arrested seven opposition party members blamed for an alleged pre-election arson attack

By AFP
January 07, 2024

DHAKA: Bangladesh police on Saturday arrested seven opposition party members blamed for an alleged pre-election arson attack on a packed commuter train that killed four people and injured another eight.

Bangladeshi firefighters search through a burnt out carriage of the Benapole Express in Dhaka on January 5. — AFP
Bangladeshi firefighters search through a burnt out carriage of the Benapole Express in Dhaka on January 5. — AFP 

It was the latest in a series of fires to hit railway services since late last year, blamed by police on opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ahead of Sunday’s national election. Police said Nabiullah Nabi, a senior BNP official in Dhaka, and six other party activists were arrested.