Police have filed a case accusing 250-300 people of attacking law enforcers and obstructing them from doing their duty during the fire that devastated Bangabazar.
Confirming the matter to the media, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jafor Hossain said, “The fire service headquarters and personnel were attacked while dousing the flames in Bangabazar.
“The culprits also attacked the police while they were trying to contain the situation. A case has been filed accusing 200-300 unnamed people with the Bangshal police station in this regard. These culprits will be identified, and legal action will be taken against them.”
Bangshal police station Officer-in-Charge Mujibur Rahman said, “We have already arrested three people – Raju, Shaon, Shahadat – in connection with the case filed by DMP. The trio is now under one-day remand for questioning.”
He added that the fire service too is filing a separate case for facing obstruction of duty, attack, and vandalisation of its headquarters. Police had earlier filed a general diary (GD) with the Shahbagh police over the Bangabazar fire.
A fire broke out in the Bangabazar Complex a little after 6am last Tuesday, and quickly spread to the nearby Adarsha market, Mohanagar Market, Gulistan Market, Annex Tower, and Islamia Market.
Forty-eight firefighting units of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control at around 12:36pm, after more than six hours of frantic effort.
Teams of army, navy, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, and Ansar personnel also assisted in the endeavour. Besides, a helicopter of the Bangladesh Air Force was also used to carry water to the scene of the incident.
