Play store
The opposition has accused the government of attempting to cover up its failure to ensure law and order by portraying the fire at the ancestral home of MP Nusrat Tabassum as an electrical short-circuit incident.
The allegation was raised by Opposition Chief Whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam during a heated exchange in Parliament over the fire at Nusrat’s family home in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia.
Nahid Islam criticised the government for suggesting that an electrical short circuit was the likely cause of the fire, arguing that such claims were being made before a proper investigation had been completed.
He alleged that four petrol bombs had been thrown at the house and questioned why the authorities were dismissing the possibility of a deliberate attack.
The NCP leader also claimed that Nusrat had received repeated threatening phone calls before the incident and had filed a general diary (GD) with the police over the threats.
Referring to video footage circulating on social media, Nahid said an object appeared to have been thrown at the house from outside, triggering the fire.
He also alleged that the Home Minister was attempting to absolve those responsible instead of ensuring their arrest.
In response, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said preliminary findings had found no evidence of petrol bomb use at the scene.
He said investigators were examining the possibility of an electrical short circuit due to the house’s old wiring.
The minister added that a joint investigation involving police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Fire Service and Civil Defence, and the local administration had been ordered to establish the actual cause of the fire.
However, on Friday, Kushtia Palli Bidyut Samity officials said their examination of the electrical wires, meter and fuses recovered from the scene had found no evidence of a short circuit.
The authorities said the actual cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
The fire broke out late on Wednesday night at Nusrat’s ancestral home in Baguayan village, damaging several rooms.
The MP later filed a case with Daulatpur Police Station, alleging that unidentified individuals had attempted to kill her parents and other family members by setting fire to the property and causing an explosion.
The investigation is ongoing.
