Bangladesh Train Fire Kills Four Amid Political Unrest

Opposition party accused of arson and sabotage denies allegations, continues to boycott upcoming national election.

Bangladesh's railway minister accuses the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), of arson and sabotage after a train fire kills four people, including a mother and child.
The BNP, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is boycotting the upcoming national election on Jan. 7 and has been intermittently enforcing transportation blockades and general strikes demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The BNP denies the accusations of arson and sabotage and suggests the incident may be a ploy to divert public attention from the ongoing democratic movement.
The BNP has called for a boycott of the polls after its demands for a caretaker government to oversee the election were not met, accusing Hasina of rigging the 2018 vote.
The BNP claims more than 20,000 party members have been arrested since Oct. 28, when a police official was brutally killed during a massive rally, allegedly by Zia’s supporters.