B’desh PM Sheikh Hasina narrowly escapes blast

Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday narrowly escaped a bomb blast which occurred in a Dhaka neighbourhood minutes after her convoy passed the area, according to media reports. Several crude bombs exploded in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area only 10 minutes after the prime minister’s convoy passed, bdnews24.com reported citing a police official. The official added that one police personnel received minor injuries in the blasts, though he was “fine and is still on duty”. Hasina crossed the area on her way to the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan to attend a rally organised by the ruling Awami League, which she leads. The blasts occurred amid a transport blockade and shutdown across Bangladesh, enforced by the Khaleda Zia-led opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s 20-party opposition alliance, which boycotted the general election held Jan 5 last year, has enforced a non-stop nationwide blockade since Jan 5 and shutdowns since February this year, demanding fresh parliamentary polls under a non-party caretaker government system. More than 100 people have been killed so far in the ensuing political violence and most of them have been killed in fire bomb attacks on public vehicles.