At least 14 crude bombs were detonated at seven locations across the capital on Friday, while a bus was set on fire outside a police station, according to police.
Police said they would collect CCTV footage from all the affected sites to investigate the incidents and take legal action against those responsible.
The blasts, involving homemade explosives locally known as “cocktails”, were reported from the afternoon until 11:00pm in Malibagh, Agargaon, Mohakhali, Jatrabari, Babubazar, Maghbazar and outside the headquarters of Bangladesh Television (BTV).
Ibadur Rahman, a rickshaw puller from Kurigram, was injured around 7:45pm when several devices exploded in front of the main gate of Jatrabari Police Station. He is undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Police said two explosions were reported near the Malibagh railway crossing shortly after Friday prayers. Blasts were also reported in Mohakhali and near the Betar Bhaban radio building in Agargaon in the early evening.
Md Robiul, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said a device exploded under the Babubazar Bridge around 8:00pm.
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Hatirjheel Police Station, said another device exploded next to Maghbazar Jame Mosque at around 9:15pm.
Rampura Police Station OC Jahangir Alam said two more devices exploded around 11:00pm on a road opposite the main gate of BTV, an area under Hatirjheel police jurisdiction.
At around 10:14pm, an empty bus caught fire outside Kafrul Police Station. Firefighters brought the blaze under control. Police said they were yet to determine who started the fire.
Police sources linked the latest incidents to an incident in upscale Gulshan on 11 September.
According to police, several hundred supporters of the Awami League, whose activities have been banned, gathered before Friday prayers on 11 September and staged a flash march, chanting slogans against the government and the state.
Police said crude bombs were detonated in Gulshan and nearby areas, with some thrown at officers attempting to disperse the crowd. Five live devices were recovered from the scene, while 83 people had been arrested so far, they said.
The march drew criticism from political groups, with some describing it as a failure of law enforcement.
On 16 September, the deputy commissioner of the Gulshan Crime Division and the officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station were withdrawn from their posts and attached to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters.
