Suspected train arson kills at least four in Bangladesh

At least four people, including a child, died in a suspected arson attack on a passenger train, police said, on the eve of a general election that the main opposition party is boycotting.

In addition to the deaths, eight were injured when the fire spread to four compartments of the Dhaka-bound Benapole Express around 1500 GMT (9 pm local time) on Friday.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotting for the second time in three elections, calls the polls a ploy by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League to legitimise a sham vote that will deliver her party a fourth straight term.

Hasina, refusing BNP demands to resign and cede power to a neutral authority to run the election, accuses the opposition party of instigating anti-government protests that have rocked Dhaka since late October and killed at least 10 people in the South Asian country.

Last month protesters set a train ablaze, killing four people during a countrywide strike called by the opposition.

Possible deliberate act

The train fire in Dhaka's Wari area was brought under control by seven firefighting units after about an hour, fire service official Shahjahan Sikder said.

"Investigation is underway, but it seems the train was deliberately set on fire," said railway police official Ferdous Ahmed.

An official at the Wari police station said police suspected "sabotage" and could confirm the cause of the fire only after the investigation.

The BNP has asked citizens to shun the poll and called a two-day strike in the country from Saturday.

About 800,000 police, paramilitary and police auxiliaries are to guard polling booths on Sunday. Officials of the army, navy and air force have also been deployed across the country to maintain peace.