At least 11 vehicles were torched in different places of the capital, Gazipur and Mymensingh on Sunday ahead of the BNP-led 20-party alliance’s planned January-5 rally, leaving 18 people injured. Of the vehicles, seven were set ablaze in the capital while three in Gazipur and one vehicle was set afire in Mymensingh. In the capital, a bus of ‘Tanjil Paribahan’ was torched by unidentified miscreants at Gulistan around 6:15pm while a private car at Shanirakhra at about 5:25 pm. The miscreants set alight a ‘Suprovat Paribahan’ bus near Jamuna Future Park at Kuril around 5:15 pm while that of ‘Ananda Paribahan’ at Doyaganj around 3:20pm. According to the Fire Service Control room, miscreants set fire to a bus near Motijheel AGB Colony around 2:10 pm. Local people doused the flame after the incident. Unidentified miscreants set alight another bus near Baitul Mokarram South Gate around 1:45 pm. Informed, a fire-fighting unit rushed in and put out the blaze. Another bus was torched on the west side of Tejgaon Women’s College around 3:40pm. Besides, the local of Swechchhasebak League was set ablaze behind the RAK Tower at Jasimuddin Road in the Uttara. However, there was no report of any causality or injury in the incidents. In Gazipur, three buses were torched in Chandona Chourasta and Shibbari around 5pm. Some 7-8 people were also injured while getting down from the buses. In Mymensingh, at least 10 people were injured as miscreants torched a bus in the district town at noon. Police said the bus was set on fire in front of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital at noon. Ten passengers were injured as they tried to hurriedly get out of the burning bus. On information, firefighters rushed in and doused the blaze. Five of the badly injured were admitted to the hospital. Meanwhile, police arrested around 243 people, mostly BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists, from different districts across the country, including the capital.
