At least four persons, including a minor girl, were killed, and more than 100 others injured in the capital, and elsewhere in the country, on Tuesday, during a hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami. The Jamaat has called another nationwide dawn-to-dusk strike on Wednesday, in protest against the war crimes verdict against its secretary-general, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mujaheed. Two local leaders of Jamaat and its student front, Islami Chhatra Shibir, were killed in police firing, during a clash at Paokhali in Kaliganj upazila, under Satkhira district. The deceased were identified as Ruhul Amin (38) and Arif Billah (17). At least 50 people, including nine policemen, were injured in the clash.
Md Abdul Kuddus (60), a bus driver, was stoned to death by some Jamaat-Shibir picketers in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur, according to police sources. Kuddus was rushed to Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, at around 11 am.
Sadia Sultana (9), a minor girl, was crushed under the wheels of a speeding bus when she tried to run away from a group of hartal supporters at the Chandana Intersection.
Jamaat-e-Islami and 11 Left-leaning student organisations, as well as, the Ganajagaran Mancha, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) called the daylong hartal over the Ghulam Azam verdict.
In the capital, activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir exploded about 12 crude bombs during the shutdown. They blasted four to five crude bombs at Shanir Akhra at 6 am, and two to three such bombs at Maniknagar, at 8:45 am.
At 6:30am, the Shibir activists exploded two crude bombs at Panthapath.
They exploded two bombs from a procession in Kajlarpar area at 6:15 am. Police fired two blank shots, to disperse the activists. Picketers lit a fire in Pallabi bus-stand area at 7:40 am. Later, police doused the flames.
Some Left-leaning student organisations brought out a procession in Paltan area.
Vehicular movement was almost normal in the city. But most shops, including shopping malls, remained closed to avert any untoward situation.
A large number of police and RAB personnel were deployed at different strategic points. The hartal was marked with stray incidents of violence.
In Dinajpur, about 100 Jamaat-Shibir activists started picketing at Ranirbandar area of the Dinajpur-Dhaka highway under Chirirbandar upazila, in the early hours of the day. They started throwing brickbats at commuters, after a while. Md Abdul Kuddus was hit by the brickbats and collapsed on the road.
In Gazipur, Nadia Sultana, daughter of Saidul Islam, was stampeded to death during a mayhem caused by Jamaat-e-Islami activists. The accident occurred at around 1 pm, as the bus driver tried to evade the marauding party activists and lost control over steering. Her dead body has been kept at Gazipur Sadar Hospital.
Zakir Hossain, another bus driver, was badly burnt when a group of hartal activists torched his bus on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, around noon. He has been admitted to Gazipur Sadar Hospital. A total of 10 passengers were injured, while trying to get off the bus.
Joydebpur police station officer-in-charge, Jahidul Islam, said Jamaat and Shibir activists had vandalised vehicles at Chandana intersection.
In Chapainawabganj, at least six persons, including four children, were injured, when crude bombs were hurled at them, from a Shibir procession at 11 am. The injured have been admitted to Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital.
In Comilla, police arrested eight Shibir picketers from the city’s Laksam Road. Comilla Kotwali police station officer-in-charge, Muhiuddin Mahmud, said a group of Shibir activists had tried to block Laksam Road in front of Kasemul Ulum Madrasah in the morning.
The activists also exploded at least 10 crude bombs at that time. They tried to flee the scene as police fired 21 rounds of rubber bullets to disperse them. Later, the law enforcers picked up the eight Shibir men, including its Comilla city unit general secretary Shah Alam from, the area.
In Sylhet, Shibir men vandalised 10 vehicles, including a pickup van and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, while picketing in the city’s Pathatula area.
In Bogra, Jamaat-Shibir activists exploded nine crude bombs, while they were picketing in Sabgram, Kamargari and Gohail areas of the district town.
In Narayanganj, some picketers torched a bus and vandalised six vehicles on the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road in Siddirganj upazila, at around 8 am.
Meanwhile, Ganajagaran Mancha activists also held a rally in the city, demanding capital punishment for Ghulam Azam.
In Sirajganj, at least eight Jamaat and Shibir activists were detained after the hartal supporters vandalised vehicles and clashed with police.
In Comilla, picketers of Jamaat-Shibir blasted about nine crude bombs at Tamsam Bridge area in the city, at around 8:30 am, said Mohiuddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.
In Chittagong, a private television network’s cameraman was injured, when Jamaat-Shibir activists exploded at least seven crude bombs in Badurtola area at around 8 am.
Palash, the cameraman, was admitted to a local hospital with splinter injuries.
In Barisal, a group of Jamaat-Shibir men had vandalised at least five vehicles in different areas of the city, said Sakhawat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station.
In Rajshahi, pro-hartal activists torched a passenger bus in Nawdapara area under Shah Makhdum police station in the city. Fire-fighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
In the morning, pro-hartal Shibir activists gathered in court station area of the city, and brought out a whirlwind procession.
On receiving the news, police rushed to the spot and dispersed them, by firing blank shots.
-With The Independent input
