Branches of Grameen Bank, the microfinance institution linked to Nobel laureate and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, came under separate arson and crude bomb attacks in Pabna and Chattogram districts this week.
In both cases, security staff and locals quickly contained the fires, limiting damage, while police launched investigations.
Pabna: Petrol attack and vandalism at Dogachi Bazar branch
Unidentified attackers targeted a Grameen Bank branch office at Dogachi Bazar in Pabna Sadar upazila in the early hours of Wednesday (around 12:30–1:00 a.m.).
Local witnesses said several youths poured petrol on the premises and set it alight while chanting the slogan “Joy Bangla” before fleeing.
According to Asaduzzaman, Assistant General Manager of Grameen Bank’s Pabna Zonal Office, the miscreants first set fire to the branch’s signboard. They then smashed the office’s glass windows, poured petrol on the front section of the building, and ignited it.
Night guard Abdul Wahab, who was inside, raised the alarm. The building owner, bank staff, and local residents rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire through combined efforts, preventing major damage.
Asaduzzaman confirmed that no important bank documents were destroyed. The bank is preparing to file a formal complaint with police. Officer-in-Charge Tarikul Islam of Pabna Sadar Police Station said a patrol team visited the scene overnight, and another team returned in the morning to collect information. Legal action is underway.
Multiple outlets, including The Daily Star, The Business Standard, and others, reported the incident, with consistent accounts of the “Joy Bangla” slogans and the sequence of the attack.
Chattogram: Cocktail explosion and fire at Barkhain branch in Anwara
In a separate incident in Chattogram’s Anwara upazila, a cocktail (crude bomb) explosion and fire occurred at the Grameen Bank Barkhain branch office around midnight on Monday (November 9–10). Police said the attack took place around 12 a.m., with the explosion believed to have been triggered after breaking a ground-floor window, followed by arson.
Duty security staff brought the fire under control before it could spread. Some old documents were burned, but there was no major structural damage or disruption to operations. On Tuesday afternoon, staff were observed working normally on the ground floor. Branch Manager Anik Bin Rashid told Prothom Alo that employees extinguished the fire after spotting it on the ground floor and that a complaint would be filed at the police station.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mahmudul Hasan of Anwara Circle confirmed that unidentified individuals threw cocktails and fled. The security guard controlled the fire, some old papers were burned, and the matter is under investigation with legal steps planned. The Daily Star and Prothom Alo also covered the incident as part of broader reports of arson and crude bomb blasts across the country.
These attacks occurred amid a wider pattern of arson, cocktail explosions, and related incidents reported in several districts. Grameen Bank branches have been targeted in multiple locations in recent months. Police in both districts continue inquiries, and no arrests have been publicly reported in connection with these two specific incidents as of the latest updates.