A tin-roofed room used for storing straw was burnt down at the house of Saddam Hossain, president of the banned student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), at Sathkhamar village in Panchagarh's Boda upazila early today.

Family members said the fire originated from an unidentified source around 1:30am in a room located outside the main house.

Being informed, fire-fighters and army personnel rushed to the spot and managed to bring the fire under control after an hour-long effort.

Saddam's mother, Anwara Begum, suspected that unknown persons deliberately set the straw on fire, as there was little chance of it igniting on its own.

Straw worth around Tk 1 lakh, collected from a 10-bigha paddy field, was destroyed in the fire.

Md Raihan Islam, warehouse inspector of Boda Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the source of the fire could not yet be determined.

Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Atwary Police Station, said they are investigating the incident to identify the source of the fire.

An angry mob set fire to Saddam Hossain's house on August 5 during the uprising. After the house was repaired, the BCL president's parents and his elder brother's family resumed living there.