Bangladesh petrol bomb attack leaves seven dead

DHAKA, Feb. 3 (NsNewsWire) — At least seven people have been burned to death and 15 others injured, some seriously, in a petrol bomb attack on a bus in eastern Bangladesh.

Police said the bus had been full of sleeping passengers when it was attacked near the town of Chauddagram, reports BBC.

It is the latest in a spate of attacks on buses, lorries and cars since anti-government protests began last month.

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia called for the protests on the anniversary of last year’s election.

However, she has denied that her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist allies are behind the firebombings.

“Seven passengers were burnt to death in the bus after the petrol bomb was thrown at 04:00 (20:00 GMT Monday),” district police chief Tuttul Chakrabarty told AFP news agency.

“Five of the passengers are fighting for their life. They have been shifted to a hospital in the capital.”

Police officials said authorities had raided nearby villages but no arrests had been made.

Last month, Ms Zia urged her supporters to enforce a nationwide blockade of roads, railways and waterways to try to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to call fresh elections.

Bangladesh has arrested more than 7,000 opposition activists since the protests began.

Ms Hasina has denounced the opposition as militants and accused activists of engaging in terrorism rather than politics.

Ms Zia was put under house arrest at the start of the protests, but has since been released.