Three injured in bomb blast at student rally in Savar near Dhaka

At least three people were injured when a bomb exploded at a student-led rally in Savar, near Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, on Monday night. The blast hit a gathering organised by the newly formed National Citizen Party, or NCP, during its July march programme. Senior party figures were on stage at the time, including NCP convener and Dhaka-11 MP Nahid Islam.

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The explosion happened around 9:45 pm at the Eidgah Ground near Savar Thana Stand, according to the details provided by party officials. Arifur Rahman Tuhin, a joint chief coordinator of the NCP, confirmed that the rally came under attack and said the injured were taken to Enam Medical College Hospital. Their identities were not immediately confirmed.

Another party member, Yassir Arafat, said the blast occurred while Dhaka District NCP Convener Engineer Nabila Tasnid was addressing the crowd. The rally was part of a month-long programme marking the second anniversary of the July Movement, the student-led uprising that helped force the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. The NCP has presented itself as a political force emerging from that protest movement, and the presence of several senior leaders at the event underlines the party's public profile.

The incident also raises immediate security concerns around political gatherings linked to the movement's anniversary events. Nahid Islam was one of the key faces of the 2024 revolt, which began as protests over a quota system in government jobs before widening into a broader anti-government movement. The supplied account says the protests escalated after the authorities used ammunition against demonstrators, blocked the internet and imposed shoot-at-sight orders.

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It also says the unrest left around 1,000 people dead and more than 20,000 injured, making the anniversary march politically sensitive. The NCP's rally in Savar was therefore not only a local party event but also part of a wider effort to mark a defining episode in Bangladesh's recent political history. The presence of Nahid Islam, Akhtar Hossain and Sarjis Alam on stage suggests the party was using the march to reinforce its link to the student uprising.

The blast, however, has shifted attention from commemoration to security and the risk of violence at public political events. What remains unclear is who was responsible for the explosion and whether the device was thrown, planted or detonated in another way. The identities and condition of the injured were not immediately confirmed in the supplied reports, and no claim of responsibility was included.

Further details are likely to depend on police findings and any statement from the NCP or hospital authorities.

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