Arson Attacks Escalate In Gazipur Amid Wider Security Alert In Bangladesh
A spate of violent attacks have been noted in Bangladesh as elections approach. Image courtesy: AI-generated picture via Sora
In the early hours of November 12, 2025, unidentified miscreants torched a parked passenger bus of the VIP Paribahan in the Peyarabagan area of Bhogra, Gazipur city, in Bangladesh.
The attack occurred around 4:30 am along the Dhaka–Tangail highway when assailants doused the vehicle with petrol before igniting it, according to police and firefighter accounts. Fortunately, no casualties were reported as the bus was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.
What is the background to the Ghazipur arson?
The incident comes hot on the heels of a nearly identical arson attack the previous night: around 10:30 pm on November 11, 2025, another parked bus was torched in the Chakrabarti area near the Kaliakoir–Nabinagar road, also in Gazipur.
No one was hurt in that incident either, but both buses were completely gutted.
What details did the Ghazipur Fire Service give on the arson?
According to Deputy Director of Gazipur Fire Service Md. Mamun, his unit responded after locals alerted authorities and found the bus already fully ablaze.
“Our unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire. Although there were no casualties, the bus was completely burned,” he said.
Sub-Inspector Md. Parvez of Basan Police Station added that senior police officials visited the scene and a drive is underway to identify and detain the perpetrators. “The attackers poured petrol on the bus before setting it on fire,” he noted.
What is the context of the present round of violence?
These attacks unfold at a time when broader violence and security concerns are rising across Bangladesh.
In Dhaka, a series of crude-bomb blasts, arson incidents and public-area disruptions have prompted authorities to place the capital on high alert, restrict public gatherings near key government sites and intensify surveillance operations.
According to rights groups’ data, the country has seen hundreds of fatalities in politically linked violence since the fall of former premier Sheikh Hasina.
What is Ghazipur’s relevance to the violence?
Gazipur is now facing the spill-over of that unrest in the form of targeted arson attacks on transport assets.
Buses parked along major highways make easy targets for such attacks, especially amid a charged pre-election atmosphere and weak security supervision at night.
The coordination of two separate attacks in the same city over consecutive nights suggests a possible pattern or campaign rather than random acts.
Were there calls for peace?
Police and firefighting units have urged vigilance from transport operators: avoid overnight roadside parking in poorly lit areas, maintain active surveillance, and promptly report any suspicious gatherings or activity.
In parallel, law enforcement officials have pledged visible deterrence, stating that identification of suspects will be fast-tracked and that those responsible will face legal consequences.
As the investigations continue, all eyes are on whether these incidents in Gazipur represent a localized act of vandalism or are symptomatic of the broader instability gripping parts of Bangladesh.
