Anti-government protesters firebombed a bus full of sleeping
passengers in eastern Bangladesh on Tuesday, killing seven in spiralling
political unrest aimed at toppling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several passengers were also critically injured in the attack in
Chuddogram town blamed on activists from the main opposition Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) led by two-time former premier Khaleda Zia.
The deaths brought the number of people killed in the month-long
protests to 53 — most of them victims of firebomb attacks on buses and
lorries — as opposition activists try to enforce a transport blockade.
“Seven passengers were burnt to death in the bus after the petrol
bomb was thrown at 4am (2000 GMT Monday),” district police chief Tuttul
Chakrabarty told AFP by phone.
“Five of the passengers are fighting for their life as 40-80 percent
of their bodies were burnt. They have been shifted to a hospital in the
capital,” he said.
Authorities have stepped up the pressure on 69-year-old Zia, who has
been holed up in her office since January 3, in a bid to halt the
violence.
Zia called the protests early last month, urging supporters to
enforce a nationwide blockade of roads, railways and waterways to force
Hasina to call a fresh election.
The BNP and its allies boycotted the last poll in January 2014 on the grounds that they believed the result would be rigged.
Authorities on Monday ordered a probe into allegations of murder
against Zia over the deadly protests, while one of her closest aides, a
media magnate, was arrested.
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