Chanchal Bhowmik was found burned to death inside a garage in Narsingdi during the early hours of the night, raising serious questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. Whether his death was the result of an accident or a planned act of homicide remains unresolved, as law enforcement authorities have so far been unable to reach a definitive conclusion.
Chanchal Bhowmik (25) was a resident of Lakshmipur village in Barura upazila of Cumilla district. His father, Khokon Bhowmik, died six months ago. Chanchal was the sole earning member of the family. His mother, Babita Bhowmik, and his elder brother, Ujjal Bhowmik, live in their ancestral village. Ujjal Bhowmik is physically disabled and is not engaged in any profession. For the past seven years, Chanchal had been working as an engine mechanic at a garage in the Dagaria area of Chinishpur Union under Narsingdi Sadar upazila. For convenience related to work, he would regularly sleep inside the garage at night.
The incident occurred on Friday night. According to local sources and police, Chanchal was sleeping inside the garage when a fire broke out late at night. Upon receiving the information, members of the Fire Service rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control. After the fire was extinguished, Chanchal’s charred and lifeless body was found inside the garage.
Police recovered the body early Saturday morning and, after preparing an inquest report, sent it to the morgue of Narsingdi Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination. Following the autopsy, the body was handed over to the family. On Saturday evening, the body was taken to Cumilla, and the final rites were performed at the local cremation ground in his village on Sunday afternoon.
A visit to the scene shows that the garage is located along the Dhaka–Sylhet highway in the Dagaria area, where three tin-shed shops stand side by side. The middle one is the garage, while the adjacent shops include a car painting workshop on one side and an auto parts shop on the other. Notably, there were no visible signs of fire damage in the two neighboring shops.
Chanchal’s co-worker, Shanta Debnath (22), who has been working at the garage for the past three years, said that Chanchal regularly spent nights sleeping inside the garage. Upon hearing about the fire in the morning, he came to the garage and saw his colleague’s burned body. According to him, Chanchal had no known enmity with anyone. He never mentioned any disputes, nor did Shanta observe any such issues. Chanchal rarely went out except for work-related purposes.
Shanta Debnath further stated that the individual seen in the CCTV footage had never been seen in the area before. The footage shows the person collecting oil-soaked paper and cloth from nearby areas and setting them on fire in front of the garage shutter. According to the footage, the individual remained at the scene for approximately one to two hours after igniting the fire. Oil and lubricant substances were also present inside the garage, which may have caused the fire to spread rapidly and reach Chanchal while he was asleep.
The owner of the garage, Rubel Mia, has stated that he is unable to view the incident as an accident. He said Chanchal’s death deeply affected him and that he suspects it to be a case of homicide. He emphasized that Chanchal was the only earning member of his family and that his death has left them in extreme uncertainty. The day after the incident, Rubel Mia filed a murder case with Narsingdi Model Police Station as the complainant.
Members of the victim’s family also believe the death was a planned killing. Chanchal’s mother, Babita Bhowmik, speaking over the phone in a tearful voice, said that her son had been burned to death by someone. She said there is no one left to run the household. Chanchal’s uncle, Duryodhan Bhowmik, echoed the same claim, stating that they had never heard of Chanchal having any conflicts or problems in Narsingdi. Upon receiving the news of the fire, family members rushed to the scene that very night. After the fire was extinguished, they saw Chanchal’s body inside the garage. He demanded a proper investigation and justice for the incident.
Initially, police suspected that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. However, after reviewing CCTV footage, a different picture emerged. A sub-inspector of Narsingdi Model Police Station stated that the footage shows an unidentified individual setting fire in front of the garage. Whether the fire set by that person directly caused the main fire inside the garage remains unconfirmed. Police have also stated that, based on the individual’s behavior seen in the footage, it is being considered whether the person may be mentally unstable—though this has not been confirmed and remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Narsingdi Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge A. R. Al Mamun and other investigating officials said efforts are underway to identify the individual seen in the CCTV footage. Alongside the local police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and detective units are also involved in the investigation. More than 48 hours after the incident, no one has been detained or arrested. Police confirmed that while the case has been recorded as a murder, determining conclusively whether Chanchal Bhowmik’s death was a homicide or an accident will depend on the outcome of the investigation.
Publication Date: 26 January, 2026
Reports published in various newspapers on this issue: prothomalo, dw, banglatribune, somoynews, samakal, thedailystar, ajkerpatrika, manobkantha
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