Dhaka: A 60-year-old bus driver was killed after unidentified miscreants set fire to a parked bus in Bangladesh’s Faridpur early on Tuesday, in a fresh wave of arson attacks and crude bomb explosions across Dhaka and several other districts amid heightened political tensions.
Md Kalachan Sheikh, was sleeping inside a bus belonging to Kishore-Tanoy Paribahan near the Goalchamat New Bus Terminal when the vehicle was set ablaze around 1.45 am, timesnow in reported.
He was rushed to Faridpur Medical College Hospital after being rescued from the bus, but doctors declared him dead. He died after suffering from smoke inhalation, local reports said.
The violence was not limited to Faridpur. In Jhenaidah, a petrol bomb was allegedly hurled at a double-decker bus carrying around 35 students of Islamic University on Monday night. The bus was travelling towards the university campus when it came under attack in the Dragon Bagan area of Shailkupa upazila. No casualties were reported.
Two crude bombs exploded in front of Tokyo Square in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka around 9.15 pm on Monday. A Basumati Paribahan bus was also set on fire near the Mirpur-11 Post Office. No injuries were reported in the incident.
A van carrying jute sacks was torched on the Dhaka-Bogura highway in Sherpur upazila of Bogura district, temporarily disrupting traffic.
Six buses were set on fire in Savar, Dhaka and Gazipur on Monday, The Daily Star reported. The attacks came amid a wider spate of vehicle arson and crude bomb explosions across Bangladesh.
In Savar, two buses parked along the Dhaka-Aricha highway were torched in the Genda and Baliarpur areas around 1 am and 4 am. One was used to transport garment workers, while the other belonged to Itihash Paribahan.
A Lovely Paribahan bus was set ablaze beneath the Farmgate station in Dhaka. Two buses were also torched in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila, in the Chandra area along the Dhaka-Tangail highway.
Crude bomb explosions were reported from several other locations in the capital, including Banasree, Mohakhali, Dhaka University and outside the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. Police also reported explosions near educational institutions and government establishments.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) set up 160 additional checkpoints at key locations across the capital and deployed more personnel to check the violence.
At least 19 people had been arrested in the preceding 24 hours in connection with recent blasts and attacks, DMP deputy commissioner (media) Akhter Hossain said.
Many of those arrested were linked to the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, he claimed.
Police in Savar also suspected the involvement of the party in the two bus arson incidents there. Investigations were underway to identify those responsible.
The attacks are linked to the July-August 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The Awami League’s activities were banned in May 2025, and the party was barred from contesting the February 2026 general election, won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Hasina, who fled to India after her removal, has recently reiterated her intention to return to Bangladesh in December. Police have blamed the banned Awami League and its supporters for several recent incidents, although investigations into the latest attacks are still underway.