Police have suspected that the fire at Dhaka University’s Charukola was an act of arson.
The early morning fire on Saturday at the Faculty of Fine Arts destroyed two symbolic installations: the towering "face of fascism", the planned centrepiece of this year`s parade, and part of the "dove of peace". These motifs were part of the annual Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra, a colourful procession that celebrates the Bengali New Year, reports bdnews24.com.
“It doesn’t appear to be an accident. From what we’ve seen so far, someone did this intentionally. That much we’re certain of,” said SN Md Nazrul Islam, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
“I was informed of the incident at 5:06am, just after it occurred at 5:05am,” said Nazrul.
During a visit to the site, he said: “This is an unfortunate incident. There are several surveillance cameras in the area. We will collect the digital recordings, carry out forensic tests and detect the suspect.”
He said it was still too early to name anyone responsible.
“There is no scope yet to say specifically who did this. The investigation will reveal that.”
However, he hinted at a possible motive saying: “Two motifs were set on fire. One featured a portrait of a former head of government. While burning that, part of the dove motif might also have caught fire. So someone who doesn’t support that figure might have done this. But this is only an assumption.”
He emphasised that nothing could be confirmed before reviewing the video evidence. “Once we identify who started the fire, we will find out who planned it and who else was involved.”
Asked about the presence of security at the time, Nazrul said both police and members of the Dhaka University proctorial team were on duty.
“Two members of the proctorial team had gone to the mosque for prayers around 5am. I don’t yet have detailed information about the police officers.” he said.
“There are 10 officers stationed here—some at the gate, three inside. I haven’t questioned them yet. Once I do, we’ll learn where they were, what condition they were in, and how the fire started. Their statements, along with video footage, will help confirm what happened,” he added.
He said an investigation committee would “definitely” be formed.
“Since the incident occurred at dawn, analysing the last hours of the night’s footage should lead us to the person responsible.”
DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali visited the Charukola premises at around 11:45am but left the site without taking any questions from reporters.
