Five students injured in cocktail blast at Madaripur girls madrasa
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Five young students were injured, one critically, following a homemade bomb explosion at a women’s madrasa in the Kalkini municipal area of Madaripur on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. at the Gopalpur Darus Sunnah Women’s Madrasa. According to officials, a suspected improvised explosive device, which had been abandoned on the premises since Friday, detonated when students inadvertently handled the object near the ground floor of a dormitory.
The injured students have been identified as 11-year-old Abida Akter, 12-year-old Jannat, 11-year-old Tasmia Akter, 11-year-old Minha, and 11-year-old Sultana. Following the blast, local residents rushed the victims to the Madaripur 250-bed District Hospital. Abida Akter, who sustained severe injuries to her hands and legs, was subsequently transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition. The remaining four students continue to receive treatment at the district hospital.
Additional Superintendent of Police for the Madaripur Sadar-Kalkini Circle, Fariha Rofiq, stated that preliminary investigations suggest the device—described as being similar in size to a tennis ball or a tobacco container—was not thrown but rather left abandoned near a staircase. Students reportedly began handling the object before it detonated.
Kalkini Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahirul Alam confirmed that law enforcement agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion and the Criminal Investigation Department, have launched an investigation into the source of the explosive. Security has been tightened at the madrasa, with police personnel deployed to the site to maintain order.
The resident of the room near where the blast occurred, Emon Sarder, expressed ignorance regarding the origin of the device. Similarly, the head of the madrasa, Hafizur Rahman, stated that the faculty and administration were caught by surprise by the explosion and are currently assisting authorities in the ongoing inquiry.
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