Maitree Express firebombed in Bangla, none injured

The attack is the latest in a spate of political violence that has claimed 75 lives so far in the neighbouring country.

Passengers on the Indo-Bangla Maitree Express Sunday had a narrow escape when opposition activists hurled petrol bombs on the train coming from Kolkata, as violence triggered by BNP-enforced nationwide transport blockade continued unabated in Bangladesh.

The suspected blockaders hurled several rounds of petrol bombs on the train near western Iswardi railway station on its way back to Dhaka, railway officials said.

However, no passenger was injured in the attack which caused minor damage to the engine as the bombs exploded under its wheels, a railway spokesman told PTI in Dhaka.

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The attack is the latest in a spate of political violence that has claimed 75 lives so far in the neighbouring country, where the opposition BNP has clamped an indefinite countrywide blockade.

After the attack on Maitree Express, a changed engine later brought the carriages to Dhaka with passengers onboard, said Sayedur Rahman, assistant director of Bangladesh Railway. A manhunt is underway to track down the attackers.

“Since the unrest began, we issued directives for passengers to keep shut the windows and loco masters to keep an extra eye on tracks and limit the speed within 40 kilometres per hour instead of routine 70 km per hour. This has caused a collapse schedule but so far we evaded deadly crashes,” a railway official said.

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