Police find no evidence of ‘locked’ door before BNP leader's home set ablaze

The houseowner, a BNP leader, asks why else would he and his daughter have to scramble and break through the roof to get out

Police have said they found no evidence of the BNP leader’s house in Lakshmipur being locked before it was set on fire with petrol, despite allegations.

The fire broke out at the house of Belal Hossain, the co-organising secretary of BNP’s Bhabaniganj Union in Sadar Upazila, on Friday.

The fire killed his youngest daughter Ayesha Akhter, 8, and left Belal and his two other daughters Smriti Akter, 17, and Bithi Akter, 14, with burn injuries.

Meanwhile, Smriti, who sustained burns to 90 percent of her body, is fighting for her life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

Her sister Bithi suffered burns to 2 percent of her body. Belal is undergoing treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital.

NO EVIDENCE OF MOB VIOLENCE

While the family claims the house was locked from the outside, doused with petrol, and set on fire around midnight on Friday, police claim to have found no evidence of “mob” violence.

Lakshmipur District Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Abu Tareq said, “No case has been filed in this incident yet. It has not been possible to arrest anyone. We have asked the family to file a case. The incident is under investigation.”

Protesting the police claim, Belal told bdnews24.com on Sunday: “They locked the door and set fire to my house. Within a minute, the fire engulfed everything, and within 5 minutes, it was completely destroyed.

“If the door was unlocked and petrol was not used, why did my daughter and I have to run around? Why did we have to break the tin roof of the house to escape?

“I will take legal action if police speak without proper knowledge of the situation.”