Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sazzat Ali has instructed police to open fire on anyone attempting to set vehicles ablaze or carry out petrol bomb and crude bomb attacks in the capital.

The order, issued via wireless communication on Sunday afternoon, was confirmed by several DMP officials who requested anonymity.

The directive comes after a series of recent arson attempts and attacks targeting public transport and law enforcement and five days after Chattogram Metropolitan Police chief issued a similar order.

Speaking to the media, Commissioner Sazzat Ali said, “I told officers over wireless that if anyone sets fire to a bus or throws a crude bomb with the intent to cause loss of life, they should be shot. This is permitted under our existing laws.”

Police sources said the directive applies in situations where perpetrators set fire to buses, launch crude bombs with lethal intent, or attempt to attack police by throwing bombs from moving motorcycles.

The latest instructions came following a wave of unrest allegedly triggered by Awami League (AL), which has been barred from political activities but called for protests and a “Dhaka lockdown” from November 10 to 13.

The party launched the campaign as the International Crimes Tribunal prepares to issue its verdict against Sheikh Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the July uprising.

Since November 10, multiple incidents of arson attacks on buses and trains, as well as crude bomb explosions, have been reported in Dhaka and several other districts.

The verdict in Sheikh Hasina’s case is scheduled for Monday. Anticipating tension around the announcement, the AL has declared a two-day “complete shutdown” online from Sunday.