Miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a double-decker bus belonging to Islamic University (IU) in the Garaganj area on Monday night whilst it was returning to campus from Jhenaidah.
The incident occurred at around 9:30pm when the vehicle, named ‘Diganto’, was passing through the area.
However, no casualties or physical damages were reported.
According to eyewitnesses, several university buses had been stranded in a prolonged traffic jam at Bhatai Bazar due to ongoing road construction work.
Shortly after clearing the gridlock and arriving in Garaganj, assailants riding two motorcycles from the opposite direction targeted the moving bus and threw a petrol bomb.
Because the vehicle was in motion, the bomb struck one of its wheels and bounced off onto the road, triggering severe panic amongst the students inside.
The identities of the perpetrators could not be ascertained immediately.
Morsha, a student of the university’s Department of Journalism who was on board the bus, described the ordeal.
“We were stuck in a traffic jam for a long time. Shortly after the bus started moving, a bomb was thrown at it. We narrowly escaped. Is there any security for human life at all? Different political parties will enjoy power, and at the end of the day, general students and ordinary people like us become the victims of attacks. If the bomb had hit the tyre just an inch or two away, I might not be alive today. Who will guarantee my safety?” she said.
Commenting on the incident, S.M. Mamunur Rashid, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Islamic University Police Station, said: “Attempts are being made across the country to create instability centring around the programmes of banned organisations. We suspect the bomb attack on the university bus might be a part of this effort. Patrols have been reinforced from our side, and police personnel are on round-the-clock alert. Drives are under way to identify and arrest those involved”.
