Railway staff survey the charred remains of a Mohanganj Express carriage, set ablaze by unidentified miscreants early Tuesday, at the Kamalapur Railway Station. In the inset are deceased Nadira Akter and her son Yasin Rahman, two of the four victims killed in the incident. — FE Photo by KAZ Sumon At least four people burnt to death as a running train---Mohanganj Express---- was set afire in Dhaka on Tuesday dawn, just before the beginning of a daylong hartal called by the election-boycotting opposition political parties, officials said.
Two of the deceased are Nadira Akhter Poppy, 32, and her three-year-old son Yasin. Another two were yet to be identified, police and witnesses said.
Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) personnel confirmed the death toll in the train blaze through a statement issued to the media.
They said upon information, three units of fire-fighters from Tejgaon station drove to the Tejgaon Rail Station at 5.12 am and completely doused the fire at 6.45 pm.
"Three compartments of Mohanganj Express train were ignited," it said, adding that four bodies were recovered from one compartment.
Witnesses and fellow passengers said Tejgaon Station went through heartbreaking situations since people were crying out of panic and fear of losing close ones in the arson attack.
The incident left one Nurul Haque injured as he jumped off the train after he learnt that something worse had happened.
He said after crossing the airport station and arriving at Banani, one compartment went afire and the fire spread to other coaches within a few seconds, spewing heavy smoke.
The Mohanganj Express train, which departed from Netrakona on Monday night, was scheduled to reach Kamalapur at 4.15am.
After the fire had been doused and bodies recovered, the ill-fated train was sent to Kamalapur rail- station, sources said.
Quoting the passengers, Tejgaon Police Station officer-in-charge Mohammad Mohsin said the train was travelling to Dhaka from Netrakona. "The passengers realised the coaches of the train were burning when the train crossed the airport station and reached near Khilkhet area, he said, adding that the loco master halted the train at Tejgaon hearing the panicked passengers shouting."
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman said those who had been observing the strike and blockades committed the arson attack on Mohanganj Express.
Opposition BNP and like-minded parties who called the shutdown to press for resignation of the government and polls under a neutral administration called it an act of sabotage.
"Those who have been committing arson attacks and vandalism with backing of their foreign leaders have also set the train on fire," the police official said, without making direct indication towards anyone.
He came up with the remarks while talking to the media after he made a visit to Dhaka Medical College Hospital to meet those injured in the train arson incident.
Quoting the passengers, he said the unidentified miscreant was inside the train in the disguise of a passenger.
The DMP Commissioner also said the authority concerned need not conduct post-mortem of the dead bodies since it was evident that they died in the fire.
As the mishap is an issue of railway, a case will be filed in Kamalapur Railway Police Station, he added.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary-General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged the government was involved in the fire incident on the Mohanganj Express.
"The government itself is sabotaging and blaming the strike-blockade observers," he said and added there was a relationship between state power and the incident.
He came up with the allegation at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
Terming those responsible for the arson attack 'enemy of humanity', the BNP leader said the same train derailed in another vandalism of cutting off the rail line in Gazipur several days ago.
Earlier in the morning, the BNP demanded a judicial investigation to identify the miscreants and mete out exemplary punishment.
"Those who set fire to the train and exterminated four lives were undoubtedly a disgrace to mankind. It is not possible to commit acts of sabotage like setting fire to a train and causing loss of life without the support of a vested quarter," he said.
Meanwhile, the BNP and like-minded political parties brought out processions in different parts of the capital city.
Miscreants also set fire to a public bus in the city's Gulistan area.
The FSCD said two units of Siddik Bazar fire station doused the fire at around 1.15pm. They measured the estimated loss to be around Tk 0.3 million and managed to recover Tk 1.0 million.
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