At least four people including a child died in a suspected arson attack on a passenger train traveling from Benapole to Dhaka on Friday in the capital's Wari area, police said. Bangladesh is set to head for a general election this Sunday, January 7, that the main opposition party is boycotting.
Eight were injured in the incident when fire spread rapidly to four compartments of the Benapole Express around 9 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday.
The fire on the train broke out as it was moving toward Dhaka's main railway station, Rakibul Hasan, a duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defense, told AP news agency.
Mahid Uddin, an additional police commissioner with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the fire was "clearly an act of sabotage" to scare people ahead of the elections. He did not immediately name any suspects but said police would take action against those responsible.
The fire was brought under control by seven firefighting units after about an hour, fire service official Shahjahan Sikder said.Last month protesters set a train ablaze, killing four people, during a countrywide strike called by the opposition.
Upcoming elections
Bangladesh is seeing a polarized political atmosphere between Hasina and former premier and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, who is currently under house arrest.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is boycotting the elections, calling it a ploy by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League to legitimize a sham vote. If Hasina wins, it would be her fourth term in office.
The BNP has demanded Hasina's resignation and the appointment of a neutral authority to run the election, which she has refused. She has accused the party of inciting anti-government protests that have been taking place from October last year, and have killed at least 10.
Senior BNP official Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the Benapole Express incident was "undoubtedly an act of sabotage and cruelty against humanity," but blamed the ruling party for it.Rizvi has urged people not to vote on Sunday and called for a 48-hour general strike beginning 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to guard polling booths on Sunday. The army, navy and air force have also been deployed across the country for peacekeeping. (AP, Reuters)
