Jhenaidah: Three buses were set on fire and several filling stations were vandalized in Jhenaidah district town in response to the killing of an activist from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement following a dispute over fuel purchase.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Tanvir Hasan, the station officer of Jhenaidah Fire Service and Civil Defence, reported that miscreants set fire to three buses at the central bus terminal around 3:30 am. A firefighting unit, along with local residents, managed to extinguish the fire. The violence was triggered by the death of an activist named Nirab, who was allegedly beaten to death after an argument over fuel at the Taj Filling Station on Saturday night.
The unrest continued as a group of miscreants attacked Srijoni Filling Station in the Arappur area, causing further vandalism. Earlier, the home of Harun-Or-Rashid, the owner of Srijoni Filling Station, was also attacked. Transport workers protested these events by blocking roads on Sunday morning, which halted vehicular movement. Normalcy was restored after assurances from the district administration and police.
Alamin Sheikh, a cashier at Srijoni Filling Station, described an attack by 20-30 unidentified people who vandalized the station’s equipment, despite police presence. Following Nirab’s death, his father, Abul Kashem, filed a murder case at Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station against four individuals. Police have arrested three suspects: Nasim, Ramizul, and Abu Dawud, who are allegedly involved in the incident.
Shamsul Arefin, the Officer-in-charge of Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station, confirmed that Nirab was beaten to death around 10 pm on Saturday after an altercation with employees at Taj Filling Station. Meanwhile, Mir Rakib, chief organizer of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Jhenaidah, announced a peaceful protest post-Nirab’s funeral and claimed that their activists were not involved in the arson and vandalism incidents.