A seven-year-old girl died, and three members of her family were injured after their house was set on fire in an attack in Lakshmipur Sadar upzila of Bangladesh. The incident took place late on Friday night, 20th December, in the Sutargupta area of Char Mansa village, at the home of local BNP leader Belal Hossain.
Police said unknown attackers came at night, locked the front door from outside, and then poured petrol around the house before setting it on fire. Belal, his wife and their children were sleeping inside and had no time to escape before the flames spread. The fire quickly engulfed the small house.
Belal’s younger daughter, 7-year-old Ayesha Akter, died on the spot after the serious burn injuries. Her father, Belal, who runs a fertiliser and pesticide business at Sutar Guptа market and is the joint organising secretary of Bhabaniganj Union BNP, and his two other daughters, Bithi Akter and Smriti Akter, received serious burn injuries. The incident occurred around 2:00 am.
‘দরজায় তালা লাগিয়ে’ বিএনপি নেতার ঘরে আগুন, ঘুমন্ত শিশুর মৃত্যু, দগ্ধ আরও ৩https://t.co/qp8wlVSbOc
— Prothom Alo (@ProthomAlo) December 20, 2025
Local people rushed to the spot, managed to break into the burning house and pulled out Belal and the two girls. They were first taken to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. Later, Bithi and Smriti were shifted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors said their condition was critical, with large parts of their bodies burnt.
Fire service official Ranjit Kumar Das said firefighters brought the fire under control after reaching the scene, but by then the house was destroyed. He confirmed that one child was found dead and three people were rescued with burns. Police officers visited the spot soon after the fire and said they had started an investigation to find out who carried out the attack and whether it was a planned act of sabotage.
