Three BNP-affiliated men arrested over torching of buses in Dhaka

Police have arrested three activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Juba Dal, the student and youth fronts of the BNP, over the recent arson attacks on buses in Dhaka.

They are Kazi Rezaul Haque Babu alias Gym Babu, 28, joint general secretary of Paltan Chhatra Dal, Leon Haque, 30, joint convenor of Paltan Juba Dal, and Md Azad, 28, a Juba Dal activist.

The law enforcers apprehended them on Saturday after identifying them from security camera footage, said AKM Hafiz Akter, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan

Police’s Detective Branch.

Hafiz said that Babu poured petrol on the vehicle and another person lit it up.  

Police were trying to catch another Juba Dal activist, ‘Imtiaz’, over the attack.

Although the police officer said they made the arrests early on Saturday morning, the BNP had alleged that plainclothesmen picked Leon up last Tuesday.

One of the at least nine buses torched during the Nov 12 by-election to Dhaka-18 was set on fire at Paltan.

The DMP’s Additional DC Hafiz said Babu, Leon and Azad torched the bus after leaving a procession taken out by the BNP.

“We will question them on remand to find out who were behind the attacks and what their objective was,” Hafiz said.