"Act of absolute abomination": Bangladesh FM on train tragedy ahead of polls

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has called the arsonist attack on the intercity Benapole Express train in Gopibagh which claimed the lives of four people an attack on the democratic process and a grave violation of the rights of citizensHe stressed that the deliberate act of setting a train on fire where innocent passengers were subjected to unimaginable horror is an act of absolute abominationIn a statement he stated It is an affront to democracy an attack on the democratic process and a grave violation of the rights of our citizens This deliberate act of setting a train on fire where innocent passengers were subjected to unimaginable horror and forced to endure the unforgivable sight of fellow humans being burned alive is an act of absolute abominationThe incident comes in the backdrop of January 7 general elections and amid calls from the main opposition party the Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP for a 48hour nationwide hartal general strike commencing on Saturday with demand of resignation from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas illegal governmentThis blatant attempt to instil fear and panic among the masses is an affront to the spirit of our democracy and the enthusiastic participation of our citizens in the upcoming election This act of setting a train on fire with people burning inside is characteristic of the pattern of violence that we have witnessed before as well This has shocked the conscience of our whole society and indeed the whole world he addedMomen vowed that the perpetrators behind the act would be brought to justice He stated We will leave no stone unturned to find out the perpetrators of this heinous crime Each one will be brought to justice and exemplary punishment shall be rendered to the culprits according to the law of the landHe noted that the arsonists set the train on fire when the people were preparing for national elections Calling it a deliberate and heinous act Bangladeshs Foreign Minister said miscreants intentionally set ablaze the Benapole ExpressWhen the people of Bangladesh are eagerly preparing for a festive national election a horrifying act of arson took place on the evening of January 5 2024 when the Benapole Express a symbol of connectivity and progress was intentionally set ablaze by miscreants he statedAK Abdul Momen said the incident took place at approximately 9 pm local time around the Gopibag Kachabazar area when the train was heading to Kamalapur Railway Station He said four people including two children died and scores of people have been injured in the fire that wasIn the statement he stated This reprehensible incident undoubtedly orchestrated by those with malicious intent strikes at the very heart of our democratic values The timing of this tragedy just a day before the election scheduled for January 7 2024 shows an absolute intention to hinder the festivity safety and security of the democratic processes of the countryAfter arsonists set fire to an intercity Benapole Express train in Gopibagh the Bangladesh CID along with a forensic team arrived at the Kamlapur Railway station where the railway coaches are being shifted for the investigation The CID is gathering evidence from the train that was set on fireThe prepoll violence occurred on Friday at around 905 PM killed four people Officials called the incident a planned attack The CID team collected DNA samples from the relatives of the victims to identify the bodies Bangladeshbased The Dhaka Tribune reportedReportedly seven firefighting units were brought in to control the fire according to the duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Rakibul Hasan The Dhaka Tribune reportedFollowing the incident Dhaka Metropolitan Police DMP Additional Commissioner Crime and Operations Mahid Uddin alleged that the Benapole Express train fire was a planned attack The incident happened just two days ahead of Bangladeshs general electionsWe cannot say for sure who carried out the arson attack but it is sabotage for sure he saidThe official added that those who carried out the attack will be brought under the law Such behaviour towards common people children and women is inhumane he saidHe further said that the people who committed the crime might have disguised themselves as passengers as reported by the Dhaka Tribune Moreover Ashraf Hossain subinspector of Dhaka Railway Police Station said that they received a fire report from the emergency service number around 907 pmThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever