Police say Chhatra Dal leader paid arsonists for torching bus during BNP blockade

Police apprehend several culprits and they revealed information about the sabotages across the capital

After arresting four suspects, police say a leader of BNP’s youth front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal paid arsonists for torching a bus in Dhaka during the opposition party’s antigovernment blockade.

The arrestees are Amir Hossain Rocky, a Dhaka Metropolitan Unit leader of JCD, Ali Amin, Mizanur Rahman, and Shakib, who has been identified with a single name.

The Midline Paribahan bus was set ablaze in front of Mugda Ideal School and College on Nov 1, the second day of the blockade last week.

Al Amin was caught while getting off the bus after the arsonists got on as passengers, according to Abdul Majid, chief of Mugda Police Station.

Mizanur and Shakib were able to flee with the crowd of passengers, said Md Asaduzzaman, an additional commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit.

Citing the suspects, Asaduzzaman said Al Amin identified Mizanur as his leader and Mizanur said he acted on orders from Rocky, who had paid them after the incident.

Rocky also provided the others with petrol and other materials needed for the arson attack, the police officer said.

They set fire to two more buses on Sunday but police foiled their bid to torch another, according to Asaduzzaman.

Police followed them to Keraniganj where they were arrested before lighting another bus, he said.

Police found video footage of the attacks on the suspects’ mobile phones, Asaduzzman said.

Rocky also revealed that the payment offered for torching buses was doubled during the second round of blockade.