Udichi's Dhaka office vandalised, set on fire amid unrest

A group of protesters vandalised and set fire to the Dhaka office of Udichi Shilpigosthi this evening (19 December), amid heightened tension in the capital following the death of Inqilab Mancha leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi.

The incident occurred around 7pm at Udichi's office on Topkhana Road in the capital's Shegunbagicha.

Senior Staff Officer Md Shahjahan Sikder of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence told the media that the fire had been brought under control at 8:13pm and that extinguishing operations were still ongoing.

Earlier, Rozina Akter, duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence control room said four firefighting units rushed to the spot after receiving the report at 7:42pm.

Photo: Mehedi Hasan/TBS

Pulak Raj, a theatre activist associated with Udichi, told The Business Standard that around 7:15pm, a group of people set fire to Udichi's office. "However, no one was trapped inside."

According to locals, a group arrived, carried out vandalism and then set the premises on fire, causing panic inside the building.

Members of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed at the scene.

When contacted, Shahbagh police station officer in charge (OC) Md Moniruzzaman told TBS that he could not say who set the fire.