School bus set ablaze in Dhaka’s Vatara

Miscreants set fire to a school bus in the 100 Feet area of Vatara in the capital on Sunday evening. No casualties were reported.

The incident took place around 6:30pm on November 8.

Witnesses said the attackers set fire to a bus belonging to Jalshiri Cantonment School and College.

Debashish Roy, the duty officer at Vatara Police Station, confirmed the incident, saying senior police officials were at the scene. “We do not yet know who set the bus on fire or how the attack was carried out. The matter will become clear after an investigation,” he said.

The incident comes amid a spate of arson attacks on buses and cocktail bomb explosions at various locations across Dhaka in recent days. Similar incidents were reported in different parts of the capital on Saturday.

Over the past few days, at least eight buses have reportedly been set ablaze, while more than 50 cocktail bombs have exploded at key locations across the city, fuelling public anxiety.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has said the explosions and arson attacks on public transport are intended to spread panic among the public and carry out acts of sabotage.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Mohammad Akhtar Hossain made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Sunday.