Written by Afifa Shahid
Content Writer and Data Analyst
Afifa Shahid Mum, and Dauwood Ibrahim Hassan
Amena Begum, in that tin-roofed shack in Mirpur’s Shialbari, lived with her only assets: her husband Rohmot and daughter Farida. Their dream was simple: to earn just enough to survive two meals a day. But destiny, perhaps, began turning their dreams into ashes from that very night.
The time was December 25, 2024, deep in the night at 1:50 AM. The news of fire coming from the heart of the country, even in the biting cold, seemed to silence everything. Fire in the 7th building of the Bangladesh Secretariat, where all the vital documents of the nation’s governance and control are kept. Amena listened to the radio late into the night, hearing how 19 units of the Fire Service fought for about six hours but could not completely extinguish the fire. Although the fire was brought under control around 8:00 AM, valuable documents of five important ministries of the state were burnt to ashes. Amena sighed that day: “What kind of country is this! If fire breaks out even where the government sits, then was this fire deliberately set to destroy documentary evidence of the Government?” This question seemed to poison the air. This fire was not an isolated incident; it was the first spark of a deep conspiracy. And the protagonist of our story, Rohmot, was soon to become a victim of that conspiracy.
In a span of just ten months, destiny returned with its horrific face on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. At 11:40 AM, Amena heard a muffled scream. Rushing to the spot, she saw the ‘Anwar Fashion’ garment factory in Rupnagar, where her husband Rohmot worked, engulfed in flames. A massive explosion occurred in the chemical warehouse with a tin roof next to the four-story building, consuming everything. Before the 12 units of the Fire Service could arrive, many workers were trapped inside. Rohmot was one of them.
Amena, like a madwoman, touched the burnt walls of the factory with trembling hands and could only scream. Evening turned into night, and in that fire, 16 innocent lives were charred to ashes. Farida held her mother’s scarf and just cried, “Mom, why can’t I smell the familiar scent of my father’s shirt anymore?” These 16 deaths were not just casualties; they were a cruel example of tearing down one of the most relevant sectors to the country’s current economy.
Before the wounds of this incident could heal, the events of the next two days proved that these were not mere accidents. On October 17, 2025, a fire raged for almost 17 hours in two factories in the Chittagong EPZ, where consignments for the country’s export-oriented industries were prepared. And on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 2:15 PM, a fire broke out in the Cargo Village of Shahjalal International Airport, the gateway to the country. Twenty-eight units had to fight that day. These four incidents – Secretariat, garment factory, EPZ, and airport are the main pillars of the country’s administration, industry, economy, and communication. Was striking all of them simultaneously not the blueprint for transforming Bangladesh into a dysfunctional state by sabotaging its economy, being implemented by some powerful and infamous cohorts who embezzled people’s money?
The insidious plans of these cohorts were not limited to fire and destruction. They attacked the state structure through High-Value Target Assassination, created conflict in people’s most emotional areas by launching sudden attacks on religious sites. They attempted to cripple economic transactions by spreading counterfeit money and executing cyber attacks. And the most heinous act was hitting the supply chain to sabotage the prices of daily necessities. They snatched away the minimal opportunity for the country’s people to live at a basic level.
The people of the country are today questioning the mastermind behind this conspiracy. Who is responsible for creating tension within the military and paramilitary forces, implicating officers in crimes, disrespecting the army, and creating a disrespectful situation for the country? Using this military force on the streets and fields, and restraining the police administration from performing its duties, pushing the nation towards anarchy – all this seems like a huge provocation. If the path of this fire and conspiracy is not stopped, our future generation will face a terrible consequence. After Rohmot’s death, thousands of families like Amena Begum’s will be destitute. The country’s economy will be so devastated that not only through money but also through the ‘mass hysteria’ created by the spread of fake information and social instability, we will be destroyed.
Amena Begum no longer just cries today. Her eyes now hold only determination. She knows that she must defeat the fire that snatched away her husband. Millions of ordinary citizens like her, school students, and various constructive organizations have responsibly stepped forward today. They have understood that even though some bad people have taken the responsibility of paralyzing the country, ‘the responsibility to help the country recover must be borne by all the citizens of the country’. Conscious citizens must be listened to, and awareness must be spread to encourage people to build a beautiful and prosperous Bangladesh. If the police are not interested in doing their job, in that case, a new force must be created utilizing the country’s huge unemployed population, who will always be ready to manage the overall situation of the country. Every person in an administrative position must move forward in nation-building by saving themselves from bribery and crime. It is through this humanitarian initiative that society can improve. This country will rise again one day, when ‘a proper functional system can be implemented’. But for that, a collective voice is needed. The solution to this problem requires deep introspection, specific reforms within the administrative and military forces, and a strong desire among the people. People are constantly suffering from this problem, but they are not coming forward for prevention and redressal. This silence must be broken. An effective roadmap must be created that can tear apart the web of this conspiracy. The solution to this problem is possible if the right steps are taken in a very short time. And for that step, we must hold the fire of a rebellion in our hearts.
Short Bio :
Afifa Shahid Mum is currently a regular Bachelor’s student in the Economics Department at BRAC University
Dauwood Ibrahim Hassan is currently a regular Master’s student in the Economics Department at Jahangirnagar University. At the same time, he is working as a student representative in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and is also engaged in the corporate world of the Marketing Department at IDLC Finance PLC.