Train burning a day before election shows intention to hinder democratic process: Momen
The government will leave no stone unturned to identify the perpetrators of the heinous crime, he said in a statement
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said "setting a train on fire" a day before election shows intention to hinder the democratic process.
"The timing of this tragedy, just a day before the election scheduled for 7 January 2024, shows an absolute intention to hinder the festivity, safety and security of the democratic processes of the country," he said in a statement today.
Momen said it is an affront to democracy, an attack on the democratic process, and a grave violation of the rights of citizens.
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The foreign minister said, "The government will leave no stones unturned to identify the perpetrators of the heinous crime."
He said, "Each and everyone will be brought to justice and exemplary punishment shall be rendered to the culprits, according to the law of the land."
Momen said the attempt to instil fear and panic among the masses is an affront to the spirit of democracy and the enthusiastic participation of Bangladeshi citizens in the upcoming election.
"This act of setting a train on fire with people burning inside is characteristic of the pattern of violence that we have witnessed before as well. This has shocked the conscience of our whole society – and indeed – the whole world," he said.
"When the people of Bangladesh were eagerly preparing for a festive national election, a horrifying act of arson took place on the evening of 5 January 2024, when the Benapole Express train was intentionally set on fire by miscreants," Momen said.
This deliberate and heinous act, which occurred at approximately 9pm around the Gopibag Kacha Bazar area when the train was on its way to Kamalapur Railway Station, has resulted in the deaths of four people including two children, he said.
"This reprehensible incident, undoubtedly orchestrated by those with malicious intent, strikes at the very heart of our democratic values," Momen said.
"This deliberate act of setting a train on fire, where innocent passengers were subjected to unimaginable horror and forced to endure the unforgivable sight of fellow humans being burned alive, is an act of absolute abomination," the foreign minister said.
