Four people were killed and over 50 injured in violence across the country on Saturday, the first day of the 3-day road-rail-waterway blockade programme being enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance. The opposition alliance is enforcing the back-to-back blockade programme in consecutive weeks to push for cancellation of the election schedule for the 10th parliamentary election and to protest the arrest of several senior leaders of the BNP.
The opposition alliance earlier enforced a 71-hour blockage, from 6am Tuesday to 5am Friday, which witnessed widespread violence across the country. Nineteen people were killed and as many as 1,200 others injured during the agitation programme.
Of the four killed on Saturday, one each was reported from the capital, Chittagong, Jhenidah and Pabna.
A pedestrian, Habibur Rahman, died on the spot and three people were hurt when a bus lost control and hit them following an arson attack on the vehicle by blockaders at Malibagh in the capital.
In Chittagong, a pedestrian, Nimai Nath, 45, of Patiya, was killed as a pickup ran him over after being chased by blockaders at Nayakhal on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Highway in Satkania upazila.
In Jhenidah, an activist of Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, Israil Hossain, 18, was killed in police firing in Kotchandpur upazila headquarters.
In Pabna, a youth died after he was run over by a truck at the Ruppur-Chandali intersection on the Ishwardi-Kushtia Highway. The victim identified as Mahbubul Islam, an activist of the 18-party alliance, was attending a procession in support of the blockade on Saturday evening.
The officer-in-charge of Iswardi police station, Biman Kumar Das, said the processionists were trying to vandalise the vehicle, but the driver, trying to make his way, hit Mahbub killing him on the spot. The protesters later torched the truck.
The 72-hour blockade is another blow to the education sector, as the authorities of many schools and colleges were compelled to reschedule the exams.
The blockade started at 6am on Saturday and will end at 6am on Tuesday.
Train services on the Chandpur-Laksham-Sylhet route were suspended as Opposition activists blocked rail tracks near Chhayabani Cinema on Saturday.
In the capital, bombs were exploded and there were incidents of vandalism and arson, with vehicles being set on fire. This left several people injured.
Opposition activists exploded several bombs in different parts of the city, including Gabtoli and Green Road, in the morning. The police detained two activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The two were detained near Al Helal Hospital in the Kafrul area at Shewarapara, Kazi Wazed Ali, officer-in-charge of Kafrul police station, said.
Few vehicles were seen on the streets of the capital for fear of vandalism and arson, while rickshaws and auto-rickshaws did brisk business. No long-distance bus left Mohakhali, Sayedabad and Gabtoli terminals. Law enforcers were out in strength to prevent any untoward incident.
In Jhenidah, blockade supporters were picketing at the bus stand when the police chased them. A clash ensued and Israil Hossain was killed in police firing and 10 others were injured. In protest, the Islami Chhatra Shibir has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal at Kotchandpur and Moheshpur upazilas on Sunday.
Train services on the Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet routes were suspended for five hours as protesters placed barricades on railway tracks in the port city. Trains didn’t run on the Chandpur-Laksham-Sylhet route also as opposition activists blocked railway tracks near Chhayabani cinema in Chandpur town.
In Rajshahi, blockade supporters torched five trucks and two microbuses in the Dewanpara area.
In Gazipur, unidentified persons torched the office of the BNP’s district unit on Rajbari Road early on Saturday.
In Laxmipur, 15 bombs exploded in different parts of the town.
In Moulvibazar, at least 10 people, including policemen, were injured in a clash between the police and Jamaat-Shibir activists at Kanthaltali Bazar in Baralekha upazila. Police fired several rounds and detained nine Jamaat-Shibir activists.
In Munshiganj, protesters vandalised at least 15 vehicles at Sirajdikhan and Gazaria.
In Chittagong, at least 12 people were injured in a clash between 18-party activists and law enforces.
In Brahmanbaria, at least 15 people were injured in a clash between the police and BNP activists. At least 50 bombs were also exploded.
In Meherpur, 12 people were injured in a clash between Awami League and 18-party supporters at Pirojpur village in Sadar upazila. Eight houses and shops were either ransacked or torched.
In Chandpur, police sub-inspector Rafiqul Islam, 55, was seriously injured when blockade supporters threw stone chips at a police van in Mathkhola.
Incidents of violence were also reported from different districts including Jessore, Barisal, Feni, leaving several persons injured.
-With The Independent input
