A bus driver was killed and a political party office was torched as a nationwide blockade called by the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League brought a wave of arson and crude bomb explosions across Bangladesh on Tuesday, 10 November.

The violence spread across several districts, from Khagrachhari in the south-east to Faridpur and Gopalganj, as police mounted overnight security operations and border guards were deployed to the worst-hit district. At least four buses were set on fire, and police arrested 11 people and detained six others, according to reports in The Daily Star carried by ANI.

Driver killed in Faridpur bus fire

The dead man was named as Md Kalachan Sheikh, a 60-year-old bus driver. Police said miscreants set fire to a parked bus in Faridpur while he was sleeping inside, and he died from smoke inhalation before he could be rescued.

Faridpur Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge Mahmudul Hasan confirmed the death to The Daily Star. Separate bus arson attacks were reported in Dhamrai and Savar, where firefighters brought the blazes under control without any casualties.

Offices and buses torched across districts

In Khagrachhari, unidentified assailants set fire to a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ward office in Guimara upazila at about 3:30am on Monday, destroying the building. Six people affiliated with the Awami League and Chhatra League were detained on suspicion of involvement, Guimara Police Station officer-in-charge Sohrawardy said.

In Gopalganj, crude bombs were exploded outside several government establishments, including the Government Zilla School, the Government Women’s College, the District Shilpakala Academy and the Regional Passport Office. Police in the district arrested eight people, recovered 15 crude bombs and seized seven motorcycles.

Chhatra League activists also tried to obstruct the Dhaka-Khulna highway by setting fires and cutting down trees. Police removed the trees and restored traffic. In Chattogram’s Hathazari area, three alleged Chhatra League activists were arrested while reportedly vandalising two buses on the Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway, and police recovered two petrol bombs from them.

A crude bomb explosion at a Grameen Bank branch in Anwara triggered a fire that damaged files and documents, while in Rangamati activists allegedly locked the main gates of a court and three educational institutions under cover of darkness. Police said they were investigating after a video showing the padlocks circulated on social media.

Border guards deployed in Gopalganj

The Border Guard Bangladesh deployed three platoons in Gopalganj on Tuesday after a police vehicle was set on fire during clashes with activists of the banned Chhatra League in Tungipara that morning, The Business Standard reported.

About 10:30am, a large number of activists gathered at Tungipara intersection, set tyres on fire and staged protests. When police tried to disperse them, a chase broke out and protesters allegedly set fire to a police vehicle. Eight people were arrested, seven motorcycles were seized and 15 unexploded crude bombs were recovered, according to Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Habibullah.

Activists also blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway in the Betgram area by setting fires, and torch processions and crude bomb explosions were reported in Kotalipara. Police said law and order in the district remained normal apart from one or two isolated incidents.

What the Chhatra League is demanding

The blockade was called by the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The organisation was banned by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in October 2024.

Its demands include lifting the ban on the Awami League and its student organisation, withdrawing cases against political activists and challenging tribunal verdicts involving Sheikh Hasina. The group called for the suspension of educational activities, public transport, banking, commercial operations and government services, while exempting ambulances, fire services and media organisations.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed warned on 9 November that authorities would take strict legal action against those responsible for explosions and arson attacks. Dhaka Metropolitan Police increased surveillance, mobile patrols and checkpoints around sensitive locations, and students at Dhaka University staged protests on Tuesday demanding action over crude bomb explosions on campus.