At least five people, including two media workers, were seriously injured after miscreants detonated cocktail bombs at a “July March” rally organised by the National Citizen’s Party (NCP) in Savar.
The explosion occurred at approximately 9:42 pm on Monday at the Tarapur Eidgah Maidan, under the jurisdiction of Savar Model Police Station, while the NCP programme was in progress.
The blast triggered intense panic and tension among the audience, which included families of those killed and injured in the July uprising.
According to witnesses, the venue’s electricity connection was suddenly severed around 9:30pm, just minutes before central leaders took the stage.
Although a generator was used to power a few lights, the field remained largely dark. The explosion took place just 10 to 15 feet from the stage while Engineer Nabila Tasnid, the NCP’s Dhaka district convenor, was delivering her speech.
The injured individuals have been identified as Shahin Khandakar, 30, Md Jashim. 26, Shahadat Hossain, 40, Md Majnu, 45, a cameraman for DBC News, and Md Saiful Islam, 25, a multimedia reporter for NPB News.
The victims were rushed to Enam Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Several top leaders were on the stage at the time of the attack, including the NCP convenor and Chief Whip of the Opposition in Parliament, Nahid Islam; Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, MP; and the Chief Organiser of the Northern Region, Sarjis Alam.
Following the incident, NCP leaders Salamat Ullah Roni, Md Yunus Ali, and Azharul Islam Tamim filed a case at the Savar Model Police Station. The case alleges that the pre-planned attack was intended to kill central leaders and expresses suspicion regarding the involvement of banned organisations.
Nahid slams ‘police failure’
Speaking to journalists at Savar Police Station, Nahid Islam termed the incident a failure of the police and law enforcement agencies. He suggested that the attack was driven by a political motive rather than being a mere law and order issue.
“If the police are politicised, they will not be able to protect us because they will be acting on political orders,” Nahid Islam said.
He added that while the police claimed they had the intention to act but failed, their neutrality and capability to provide security in Bangladesh would be judged by whether they can actually arrest the perpetrators.
The NCP convenor noted that although police were present, he saw no activity from them after the electricity went out.
He added that while some officers attempted to protect them after the blast, others left the scene. He further declared that despite the attack, the ‘July March’ will continue.
Police form 3-member probe committee
The police have formed a three-member investigation committee to probe the explosion and are specifically investigating the power outage that occurred during the incident.
Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Sultana visited the scene on Monday night and confirmed that a case was filed by the NCP. She assured that whoever is found involved in the incident will be brought to justice following a thorough investigation.
