Udichi central office in Dhaka set on fire

Miscreants set fire to the central office of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi on Dhaka's Topkhana Road this evening.

The fire broke out around 7:42pm, and the first unit of firefighters reached the spot within five minutes, said Rozina Akhter, a duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

"The blaze was brought under control around 8:13pm," she told The Daily Star, adding that initial information from police suggests the fire was deliberately set.

Confirming the fire, Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Division under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said "We are working to identify those involved."

No casualties were reported immediately, and the extent of damage could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report around 8:55pm.

Amit Ranjan Dey, general secretary of Udichi Central Committee (faction) told The Daily Star that the fire was set deliberately.

"We can see that it was not only the Udichi office – earlier there were incidents of arson at Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and then at Chhayanaut as well. The arson attack on the Udichi office is part of that same sequence."