Cocktail explosion, arson attack target Gonoforum candidate’s village home in Magura

A cocktail explosion and arson attack were carried out at the ancestral home of Gonoforum nominated candidate for Magura-1 and the party’s central general secretary, Mizanur Rahman, in the early hours of Tuesday.

The incident occurred between 2:30am and 3:00am at Shrirampur village in Magura Sadar upazila. Miscreants reportedly hurled cocktails and set fire to the house before fleeing.

Following the attack, Mizanur filed a general diary (GD) with the local police station.

Officer-in-Charge of Magura Sadar Police Station, Md Ashikur Rahman, confirmed the incident, saying, “Miscreants attempted to set fire to Mizanur Rahman’s village home. However, there was no significant damage. The candidate does not reside at that house. Police recovered one unexploded cocktail-like object from the scene. The candidate has filed a GD, and we are investigating the matter.”

SI Ripon Biswas, in-charge of the Hajipur Police Camp, said a police team rushed to the spot last night and recovered a cocktail-like object along with flammable substances stored in glass bottles.

Speaking to reporters, Mizanur said he had visited his village home in the afternoon but returned to Magura town at night. Around 3:00am, he received news of the cocktail explosion and fire.

He said, “I have spoken strongly against mob terrorism and militants on talk shows on various television channels. Such attacks were carried out to deter me from the elections by intimidation.”

Mizanur urged the Election Commission to take necessary action to ensure his safety and a fair electoral environment.

In a statement, Gonoforum's acting chairman Subroto Chowdhury urged the authorities to take immediate action to investigate the incident and punish those responsible.