Dhaka, Aug. 17 -- BNP on Saturday demanded a fair and neutral investigation into Friday's fire at a slum in the city's Mirpur-7 area as such incidents are on the rise.

Talking to reporters after visiting the fire-ravaged slum, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also urged the government to rehabilitate the victims and provide them with compensation.

"Fire incidents at city slums have marked a rise these days, hitting the destitute hard. So, a neutral probe body needs to be formed to look into the matter," he said.

The BNP leader also said stern punitive actions must be taken if any body's involvement in the fire incident is found.

He said about 30,000 families lost their all the belongings in Friday night's fire at th...