Son killed, Gonotantrik Party chief critically injured in fire

FE Team | Published: December 04, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Jatiya Ganotantrik Party president Nurul Islam suffered severe burn injuries and his son Tomhur Islam alias Foji (35) was burnt to death, as a fire broke out in a flat of a six-storey building at Lalmatia in the city in the early hours of Wednesday, reports BSS.
Nurul Islam, who submitted nomination paper for contesting the upcoming 9th parliamentary election on Mahajote ticket from Noakhali-1 constituency, was admitted to the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
The family of Nurul Islam, also chairman of Trade Union Kendra, is living on the fifth floor of the building 'Imperial Garden' of Swapnopuri Housing under Mohammadpur Thana.
On information, the members of the fire service rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire after a 25-minute fight.
Fire service sources said the blaze broke out in the building at about 3:30am apparently from an electric short circuit.
Meanwhile, bdnews24.com adds: JGP has called for suspension of vote in the Noakhali-1 constituency and an investigation into the incident.
Islam's wife poet Ruby Rahman is in the United States and is due to return home on December 9.
"After I was nominated, unidentified Islamist militants had been intimidating me and my son over telephone, asking me not to contest the polls," Islam said to reporters at the DMCH.
"Islam was being intimidated by outsiders for quite sometime. We demand that the government take steps to initiate an enquiry into the fire incident that occurred early Wednesday," Ganotontree Party president Azizul Islam Khan told reporters at noon.
"Simultaneously, we urge the government to halt the upcoming parliamentary polls at Noakhali-1 seat," he said.
Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesher Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, BNP joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan and other political leaders visited Islam at DMCH.
"Islam had made it known some days back that he was receiving threats over telephone. So, the fire incident should be looked into in-depth," Menon said to reporters.
"To my knowledge, Nurul Islam has no personal enemy, but his ideals may have created enemies."
There was none else in the house during the incident.
Islam in 1991 ran the general election from Noakhali-1 as an eight-party alliance candidate and marginally lost to the BNP-led four-party alliance contestant.