BNP leader Mir Nasir held
At least 200 people were injured, while more than 20 vehicles were torched and vandalised in the city and elsewhere in the country as supporters of the BNP-led 18-party alliance clashed with law enforcers and ruling alliance activists on the third consecutive day of the 71-hour blockade programme on Thursday. The blockade programme, called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, which began on Tuesday, has further been extended by 23 hours until 6pm on Friday. It has crippled public transport services across the country, causing immense sufferings to commuters.
On Thursday night, police arrested Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, an advisor to the BNP Chairperson and a former minister, from Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. He was scheduled to leave the port city at around 9:40 am. He is accused in two cases filed over arson attacks at Kazir Dewry and Chatteshawri areas in the port city on Wednesday.
A group of opposition supporters torched four vehicles and vandalised three more in the city.
In Dhaka, Mojammel Haque, a Leguna driver, who sustained serious burn injuries on Tuesday night in Hatirjheel area, succumbed to his wounds around 2:45am on Thursday at the ICU of the burn and plastic surgery unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Another man was killed and five others were injured in a clash between the activists of Awami League and BNP at Palash upazila in Narsingdi on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Anwar Hossain Anu, 22, son of Sultan Miah of Tangrpara in the upazila. Narshingdi SP Dr Khandaker Mahiuddin told The Independent that the incident might have taken place over previous enmity.
As many as total 18 people, including one BGB personnel, have so far been killed during the countrywide blockade programme.
In Nayapaltan, police constable Sohel Rana was badly injured in a series of four explosions in front of the BNP central office around 3:18pm. He was rushed to the Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital.
Opposition supporters set fire to a bus in front of the Matshaw Bhaban in the city around 6:30pm, leaving 15 passengers injured. Later, Fire-fighters doused the flames.
Long-route bus services have remained suspended since Tuesday morning from the Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli inter-district terminals of Dhaka. Traffic in the capital, however, picked up on Thursday. There were only a handful of passengers to avail the launch services from Dhaka.
BIWTC official Md Solaiman said that around 38 water transports, mostly from the southern districts, remained anchored in Dhaka in the morning. Only 11 launches left the capital until 11am, he said.
Pradyot Sri Barua, a reporter of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), was physically assaulted on his way to office around 2.30pm. He said some unruly picketers attacked his vehicle under the Khilgaon flyover. Later, local residents rescued the journalist from the picketers.
In Patuakhali, at least 50 people, including five policemen, were injured as activists of the opposition combine clashed with law enforcers.
In Rajshahi, Mustafizur Rahman, a photojournalist of ATN News, was injured in a bomb blast, said Sourav Habib, local correspondent of the private television channel. The RU Unit of BCL claimed that five of their activists also sustained injuries in the blast.
Our Barisal correspondent reports that some picketers set fire to a truck, loaded with LPG gas cylinders, on Wednesday night at Gas Tarbain Road of the city. A total 480 gas cylinders exploded with a horrible noise and spewed fire in the nearby areas. Police sources said the damage was worth about Tk. 6o lakh.
In Chittagong, at least 11 people, including women, received were bullet injuries when armed Jamaat-Shibir activists broke in three houses, including the house of a ruling party leader, in Sitakunda upazila in the morning. The picketers also vandalised a CNG auto-rickshaw and injured three of its passengers.
Police arrested BNP central joint secretary of BNP Golam Akber Khandaker, president of the north district unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) Kutub Uddin Shibli and seven others.
Chittagong Railway Station Manager Shamsul Alam said that no train could enter the port city due to an accident caused by subversive activities in Comilla area. In Noakhali, the police held 13 small traders, along with four BNP and six Shibir workers.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports that at least 15 persons were injured in a clash at Mohendronagor area under sadar upazila of the district in the morning. Two railway compartments were gutted in the Tangail outer signalling area on Wednesday night. At least 20 seats of the compartments were gutted.
In Bogra, trains were re-started around 11.30am on the Bogra-Lalmonirhat route after a delay of nearly 10 hours.
A group of BNP-Jamaat activists barricaded a railway bridge in Godail Noyapara.
-With The Independent input
