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At least four people were killed and many others were injured after a passenger train in Bangladesh was allegedly set on fire by arsonists on Friday night.

The incident took place on the Benapole Express in capital Dhaka’s Gopibag area. It comes just two days before Bangladesh goes for general elections, which has been mired by unrest due to a boycott by the Opposition.

According to a report in The Daily Star, the fire broke out at around 9.00 pm in the Gopibag area. The fire was brought under control by 10.20 pm.

According to bdnews24.com, many of the passengers on the train were Indian nationals.

The police suspect it to be a case of arson, who set fire to five compartments. The fire spread to at least four compartments of the Dhaka-bound train.

The police are conducting a search operation to determine the casualties and damages. The police suspect many more people could be trapped inside the compartments.

The train connects Dhaka to Benapole, the most important Land port of Bangladesh.

Violence has marred the pre-poll phase in Bangladesh ahead of crucial parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have called for a total boycott of the poll process, demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and formation of a caretaker government for “free and fair polls”.