Senior BNP leaders sued over Dhaka arson attack

Several senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, have been sued over an arson attack in Dhaka Sunday ahead of a nationwide strike.

A police source told bdnews24.com Tuesday that 43 BNP leaders and activists were named in the case.

The accused also include BNP joint secretary general Amanullah Aman, the party's Dhaka metropolitan unit convenor Mirza Abbas, and standing committee member Rafiqul Islam Miah.

A government bus was set ablaze Sunday evening at capital Dhaka's Purana Paltan area. Three people suffered burn injuries when an autorickshaw was torched at Mirpur that night.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has said that Fakhrul has been accused by the government in 59 cases of political violence that took place last year.

Fakhrul Tuesday claimed that the government was establishing a "reign of terror" by filing false cases against opposition leaders and activists.

Opposition parties in Bangladesh, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia's BNP, called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk strike Monday.

The strike was planned to protest against the denial of permission for BNP's rally in Gazipur and to demand the release of BNP leaders, including Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.

A school teacher was killed and dozens of other people were injured Monday during the nationwide general strike.