Apparent arson on a train in Bangladesh kills 4 ahead of tense Sunday election

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — An apparent arson fire aboard a passenger train in Bangladesh’s capital has killed four people. The fire adds to the country’s extreme tension ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections that the opposition is seeking to boycott and disrupt with a general strike. The fire rapidly raced through four coaches in the passenger train late Friday in what one police official called an attack aimed at scaring people ahead of the voting. Authorities did not immediately name any individuals or groups as suspects. Bangladesh frequently has violence surrounding elections. Sunday’s voting comes amid an increasingly polarized political culture led by two powerful women — current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former premier Khaleda Zia, who is under house arrest.