A spate of coordinated arson attacks and crude bomb explosions struck the capital city of Dhaka and several districts across Bangladesh on Monday, triggering widespread panic among commuters and residents. Attackers set fire to buses in Dhaka’s Farmgate and Mirpur neighbourhoods, as well as two stationary vehicles at the Chandra intersection in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila. A rickshaw-van was also torched on the Postogola Bridge in Dhaka. Simultaneously, crude bombs were detonated across key urban locations, including Bonosri, Mohakhali, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court, Dhaka University’s TSC area, and outside Government Bangla College in Mirpur, alongside reported blasts in Manikganj, South Keraniganj, Savar, Chattogram, and Chapainawabganj.

The most disruptive incident occurred at around 6:30 pm beneath the Farmgate metro station, where miscreants torched a stationary bus operated by ‘Lovely Paribahan’. Fire service personnel dispatched two firefighting units to the scene, bringing the blaze under control by 7:09 pm. Although no casualties were reported as the vehicle was empty, thick smoke billowed into the elevated metro station above, causing panic among passengers who rushed to evacuate. Station authorities suspended operations for nearly 32 minutes from 6:30 pm to 7:02 pm to ensure passenger safety. Fire officials noted that the burning vehicle was parked inches away from the station’s generator room, which housed roughly 1,000 litres of diesel fuel, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic explosion.

Law enforcement agencies have intensified operations to crack down on the perpetrators, arresting 19 individuals in connection with the recent violence and earlier attacks targeting police officers. Among those detained are two individuals apprehended near the Bonosri blast site, two arrested with an unexploded crude bomb near the CMM Court, and two suspects handed over by students near Dhaka University. Police also arrested 12 suspects linked to a 5 November crude bomb attack against police officers in front of the Golf Club in Cantonment, alongside arrests in Rupnagar, Darus Salam, and Turag. Authorities suspect the coordinated acts of violence are intended to spread terror ahead of a nationwide shutdown announced on social media by the banned student organisation, Chhatra League.

Addressing journalists at the Secretariat on Monday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad condemned the incidents, describing the perpetrators as miscreants acting at the behest of ousted political forces seeking to destabilise the country. The minister assured the public that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to act decisively under the law to suppress further acts of sabotage, with investigators actively reviewing CCTV footage and digital evidence to identify all individuals involved in funding and executing the attacks.