Election scheduleOver 30 vehicles vandalised, set ablaze in 6 districts

Over 30 vehicles were vandalised and set on fire by unidentified arsonists in Chandpur, Dhaka, Bogura, Sylhet and Noakhali district after the announcement of election schedule on Wednesday evening.

Miscreants set fire on several buses and other vehicles, leaving several passengers and drivers injured, soon after Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Abdul Awal revealed the date of the next parliamentary polls through a television address to the nation.

In Chandpur, at least 20 vehicles were vandalised on the Chandpur-Cumilla regional highway in Ghosherhat and Palli Bidyut areas of the district.

At least 15 persons, including drivers and passengers, were injured in the incidents.

The identities of the injured persons could not be known immediately, said police and locals.

Being informed by locals, additional police and BGB personnel have been deployed in the areas to bring the situation under control, said Mohammad Saiful Islam, superintendent of police in Chandpur.

However, no arrests have been made yet in these regards, he said.

In Rajshahi, miscreants attacked on a police vehicle at Sapura area in the city after an hour of the announcement of election schedule around 7.30 pm.

Boalia Police Station OC Md Suhrawardy said a group of miscreants started throwing bricks to a police vehicle while it was patroling in the area, leaving four cops critically injured.

Being informed, additional police rushed there but the miscreants manged to flee from the scene at that time, he added.

In Dhaka, a truck was torched in Dohar Bazar area around 10:00 pm.

On information, two firefighting units from Dohar Fire Station rushed there and working to douse the blaze, said Talha Bin Zasim, an official of Fire Service Media Cell.

In Bogura, a covered van was set on fire around 8:55 pm in front of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) office on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway.

Shahjahanpur Police Station officer-in-charge Shahidul Islam said being informed, police rushed to the spot and with the help of locals, they brought the fire under control.

In Sylhet, a human hauler was set on fire around 8:43 pm in Shah Poran's Daspara area in the city.

Two firefighters units rushed there and doused the blaze.

In Noakhali, BNP men attacked and vandalised at least 10 covered vans and CNG-run auto-rickshaws in different places in the district town after the announcement of election schedule, said Mir Jahedul Haque Rony, officer-in-charge of Sudharam Model Police Station.

Najmul Hasan Rajib, Additional Police Superintendent of Noakhali said BNP-Jamaat men blocked the Chowmuhani-Feni regional highway by setting tyres on fire at Samirmunshirhat in Senbagh upazila.

Law enforcement agency members were seen trying to nab the perpetrators.
Security arrangements have been beefed up across the country.