Bangladesh unrest: 7-year-old girl burnt to death, 3 others injured after BNP leader's house set on fire

Bangladeshis rally along a vehicle carrying the body of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. (AFP photo)

As violence continues to escalate in Bangladesh, a seven-year-old girl was burnt to death and three others critically injured as the house of a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader was locked from outside and set on fire in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the police, the attack took place at the residence of Belal Hossain, a businessman and assistant organising secretary of BNP in Bhabaniganj Union, IANS reported.

Confirming the incident, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Lakshmipur Sadar Model Thana, Md Wahid Parvez, said Belal's seven-year-old daughter, Ayesha Akter, was burnt to death in the arson attack.

The BNP leader and his two other daughters, Salma Akter, 16, and Samia Akter, 14, suffered critical burn injuries. Belal is receiving treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, while his daughters – who suffered 50-60% burns on their bodies – have been sent to Dhaka for advanced care.

Belal's mother, Hazira Begum told The Daily Star that she had gone off to sleep, when around 1 am at night – she woke up and saw that her son's house was on fire. She tried to enter the blazing house, but found both entrances to the building locked.

The woman claimed that miscreants locked both doors and set the house on fire by pouring petrol, but could not identify who was responsible.

“I went to sleep after dinner. Around 1:00am, I woke up and saw through the window that my son's tin-shed house was on fire. I ran out screaming but found both doors of the house locked from the outside. I couldn't enter. Eventually, my son managed to break the door and escape. His wife, Nazma, also managed to get out with their four-month-old infant, Abir Hossain, and six-year-old son, Habib,” Hazira Begum was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

The incident took place amid a fresh wave of protests that have gripped Bangladesh following the assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi. A prominent leader of Bangladesh's 2024 uprising – Hadi died in Singapore after being shot.

In a statement released on Friday, the Muhammed Yunus led interim Bangladesh administration called on citizens to resist intimidation, arson and the destruction of property, stressing that such actions—carried out by what it described as a small group of fringe elements—risk undermining peace at a critical juncture for the country.

On the same day, a Hindu youth, named Dipu Chandra Das, was barbarically lynched following allegations of blasphemy. His lifeless body was then set on fire by the mob.