Bangladesh's main opposition party has demanded a UN-supervised probe into the fire incident on a passenger train that killed four people on Friday, calling it a "pre-planned" act of sabotage amid political turmoil ahead of the general elections being boycotted by the party. The party's senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called it an "inhuman brutal atrocity against humanity".
At least four people were killed, including two children, and several others were injured after four coaches of the Benapole Express train in Dhaka's Gopibagh area were set ablaze on Friday, two days ahead of the elections. Railway officials said that most of the train’s nearly 292 passengers were returning home from India.
It happened around 9 pm as the train, running from the Benapole town bordering the Indian state of West Bengal, had nearly reached the destination of the capital's Kamalapur Railway Station. Fire service chief Brigadier General Mohammad Main Uddin, meanwhile, said two of the dead were minor children. Meanwhile, the Crime Investigation Department of Bangladesh worked with a forensic team to gather evidence and carry out an investigation into the incident.
'Train fire an act of sabotage': BNP
Rizvi expressed concern over the "heartbreaking incident of casualties due to arson by miscreants" on the Benapole Express train. He termed it an "inhuman brutal atrocity against humanity" and called for a UN-supervised investigation into the incident, as reported by The Daily Star.
"There is no doubt that the Benapole Express train fire was an act of sabotage, leading to the loss of life," he said, calling for the immediate arrest and punishment of the "perpetrators involved". His statements come as many see the act as a deliberate attempt to reignite pre-poll violence in the country.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the loss of four lives in the Benapole Express train fire. She directed the authorities concerned to investigate whether the fire was an act of sabotage and to take immediate steps for the treatment of injured persons.
Bangladesh national elections
The incident has taken place ahead of the national elections in Bangladesh. The country is set to vote on Sunday. More than 100 foreign observers, including three from India, have reached Dhaka to monitor the general election.
Led by former prime minister Khalida Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is boycotting the general election as it is demanding an interim non-party neutral government to hold the election.
The demand was rejected by the government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is heading the ruling Awami League.
Foreign Ministry officials said a three-member delegation from the Election Commission of India reached Dhaka on Friday while 122 others from different countries were set to be here ahead of the January 7 polls, which the United Nations said would watch closely.
(with inputs from PTI)
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