The houses of two Members of Parliament and over 100 leaders and activists of Awami League (AL) were vandalised and set ablaze on Monday night in Lalmonirhat.
Lalmonirhat Fire Service reported the recovery of six charred bodies from the residence of district AL Joint Secretary Suman Khan. The bodies of the unidentified people were recovered from the fourth floor of the house around 4:30am.
Acting Station Officer Shahidur Rahman confirmed the recovery of the bodies, which have been taken to Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.
The unrest began following the announcement of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and her departure from the country.
On Monday afternoon victory processions were brought out marking Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, with celebrating crowds moving through major roads and intersections across the district.
However, the celebrations quickly turned violent. The homes and properties of several Awami League leaders came under attack, including MP for Lalmonirhat-1 and District Awami League President Motahar Hossain, MP for Lalmonirhat-3 (Sadar) and District Awami League General Secretary Motiar Rahman, and Sakhawat Hossain Suman Khan, The vandalism continued till late night.
Due to the severity of the burn injuries, the identities of the deceased could not be immediately determined.
Families of missing students involved in recent anti-discrimination protests expressed fear that the bodies may belong to their loved ones. Rajibul Karim Sarkar, father of a missing student, said the clothing and shoes found among the burnt remains resembled his son’s belongings.
He speculated that the victims might have been trapped in the building.
Authorities plan to conduct DNA tests to identify the deceased and return them to their families. Efforts to contact the police station’s Officer-in-Charge, Omar Faruq, for additional comments were unsuccessful.
