Comilla, Bangladesh (BBN)-At least seven passengers burnt to death and 23 were injured when miscreants hurled petrol bomb in a bus in Comilla, an east-central district of Bangladesh, during the countrywide non-stop blockade early Tuesday.
With the incident, the BNP-led 20-party alliance-called non-stop blockade and frequent strike took the lives of at least 49 people in the mindless arson attacks in the country.
Of the injured, nine sustained burn injuries, officer-in-charge of Chauddagram Police Station, told the BBN.
Eleven of the injured people were undergoing treatment at the burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
The condition of five patients was stated to be critical, the hospital sources said.
Miscreants hurled petrol bomb on the bus around 4:00am when it reached Chauddagram of Comilla, a district some100 kilometers south east of Dhaka.
Seven of the passengers burnt to death on the spot while 23 sustained injuries, the police official added.
The bus of Icon Paribahan was coming to Dhaka from Cox’s Bazar, the beach city of Bangladesh.
The BNP-led 20-party alliances have been enforcing the blockade coupled with frequent strikes demanding a fresh election.
They also protest the confinement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her party Gulshan office and arrest of party leaders and activists.
Khaleda called the blockade after she was barred from coming out of her Gulshan office.
BNP said its party chief was “confined” but the government denied the allegation though it had put additional law enforcers and sand-laden trucks in front of Khaleda’s office.
The government however removed the security barriers after 16 days on January 19.
Several hundred people including law enforcers were also injured during the blockade and strike.
Hundreds of vehicles were also torched and vandalised in the political agitation.
BBN/AS/AD-3Feb15-7:50am (BST)