Bangladesh Train Fire: 4 Killed in Suspected Arson, 7 Opposition Members Held

The suspected arson attack on the train comes just days ahead of the general elections in Bangladesh.

People stand near a burning passenger train at Gopibagh in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Friday, 5 January 2024.

(Photo: PTI)

The Bangladesh Police on Saturday, 6 January, arrested seven people from the main Opposition party in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in connection with the pre-election train fire incident, AFP reported.

A passenger train in Bangladesh was allegedly set on fire, claiming the lives of at least four people – including a child – and injuring eight others. Polling booths were also set on fire in the country, where general elections are to be held on Sunday, 7 January, Reuters reported.

The latest: The suspected arson attack took place on the Dhaka-bound Benapole Express on Friday night, 5 January, sources told The Quint.

• Seven firefighting units helped bring the train fire under control in under one hour, as per Reuters.

• "Investigation is underway, but it seems the train was deliberately set on fire," railway police official Ferdous Ahmed was quoted as saying.

Why it matters: The suspected train attack comes in the lead-up to the general elections in Bangladesh. The BNP had urged voters to boycott the polls and called for a two-day strike in the country from Saturday, 6 January.

The Opposition party has called for a United Nations-supervised probe into the fire, alleging that it was a "pre-planned act of sabotage by government functionaries aimed at discrediting the non-violent movement of the BNP," AFP reported.

The news agency quoted the police as saying that senior BNP official Nabiullah Nabi and six other members of the party were arrested on Saturday in connection with the case.

Some context: The BNP had also boycotted the previous general elections in Bangladesh, alleging that the polls were rigged.

• The Opposition party had demanded that a neutral authority should conduct the elections.

• In response, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (belonging to the Awami League) had accused the BNP of being behind the anti-government protests that had turned violent and led to the deaths of 10 people in October 2023.

Anything else? Protesters had also reportedly set a train ablaze in December 2023, killing four people.

• On voting day, over 800,000 police, paramilitary and police auxiliaries have been deployed to guard polling booths.

• The Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force have also reportedly been mobilised to maintain peace in the country.