A train was set on fire before the general election to be held tomorrow in Bangladesh. In the arson incident in the capital Dhaka, 4 people including 2 children lost their lives and 8 people were injured. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered an investigation into the incident.
Tensions rose ahead of tomorrow’s general elections in Bangladesh. A passenger train was set on fire in the capital Dhaka.
According to the news in Reuters, 4 wagons of the train traveling from Jessore to the capital Dhaka caught fire and the fire could be extinguished in 2 hours after intensive efforts of the fire brigade. While 4 people on the train lost their lives, the treatment of 8 injured people continues in the hospital. Noting that 2 of the injured are in critical condition, police said the attackers are being sought.
Dhaka Deputy Police Commissioner Mohid Uddin described the incident as a “planned arson” to cause public panic before the elections and said, “We will find those involved in this treacherous attack.” Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered an investigation into whether the pre-election train fire was an accident or arson.
“The timing of this tragedy, just one day before the elections … shows an absolute intent to obstruct the country’s democratic processes,” Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said in a statement on the incident.
“This reprehensible incident, undoubtedly orchestrated by malicious individuals, strikes at the very heart of our democratic values,” he said in a statement, vowing that the authorities would bring the perpetrators to justice.
Bangladesh, with a population of 170 million, will go to the polls tomorrow for the country’s 12th general elections. The election, which will determine the new government, is expected to take place in a tense atmosphere. Voting will start in the morning and last for 8 hours. Across the country, 119 million registered voters will vote in more than 42 thousand polling stations. It is stated that only 4 of the 11 elections held in Bangladesh since 1971, when the country separated from Pakistan, have been “free and fair”, while the other elections have often witnessed violence and protests.
