Gas-based pocket lighters and water bottles were being confiscated in plenty after authorities tightened security checks of Dhaka Metro passengers on Thursday morning.
The security at every metro station has been beefed up, and Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited’s (DMTCL) Managing Director (MD) Faruk Ahmed was personally leading inspections to see if the tightened security measures were being followed, Bangladeshi media reported.
The backpacks and other belongings of passengers were being thoroughly checked across metro stations, with even water bottles being asked to be left behind to ensure “public security,” Prothom Alo said in a report. Photos shared on X showed piles of pocket lighters at stations after being confiscated from passengers.
The security procedures were increased to ensure no untoward incident happens ahead of the announcement of the verdict date of a case of crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The accused in the case include ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former IGP (Inspector General of Police) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun (Approver or Rajsakshi). The tribunal has set Monday as the date for the verdict in the case.
17 buses have been set on fire across the country in the wake of the Awami League’s online ‘lockdown’, Prothom Alo said, adding that 16 of the incidents occurred in Dhaka and its surrounding areas. It is likely that the security personnel are taking no chances with inflammable substances and liquid containers inside the metro trains.
Bangladesh to hold refrendum
Bangladesh will hold a national referendum on implementing its ‘July Charter’ for state reform, drafted after last year’s deadly student-led uprising, Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country’s interim government, said on Thursday.He also reiterated that parliamentary elections will be held in February and that they would be free and fair.The July Charter seeks to reshape the country’s politics and institutions and give constitutional recognition to the 2024 uprising that forced Sheikh Hasina, a long-time prime minister, to flee to India.
