Another 100 injured as blast, arson, clashes continue across country for second day of shutdown
At least five people were killed and more than 100 injured in fierce clashes between the police and political activists across the country on the second day of the 60-hour nationwide hartal called by BNP-led opposition alliance on Monday. In Chandpur, Arju (15), a Juba Dal activist, was killed by a stray bullet and 20 others were injured in a fierce clash between AL and BNP-led 18-party supporters.
The local administration on Monday imposed Section 144 at Notunbazar and Puranbazar area of the district till 6 pm on Tuesday.
BNP called for hartal for Tuesday and Wednesday in Chadpur district protesting the killing of Arju. General secretary of district BNP Kazi Ibrahim announced the hartal at a press conference in the afternoon.
An Opposition worker was hacked to death by some unidentified miscreants in Jhenidah. The deceased, Abul Hossain (58), was the president of the Harinakunda upazila BNP and also the acting chairman of Doulatpur union. The miscreants hurled bombs at Abul when he was on the route to join a pro-kartal procession at Dakatpur Bazar. Under the impact of the explosion, the BNP leader fell off the bike and tried to escape. But the miscreants caught him near the Dakalpur Bridge and hacked him to death.
The district BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Wednesday, in protest of the killing and demanding immediate arrest of the responsible persons.
Mohammad Wasim (30), a truck driver, was killed as his vehicle toppled into a roadside ditch after being chased by a group of pro-hartal activists in Satkania upazila of Chittagong district during the hartal.
AL supporter Shahjada, 40, was killed in a clash with pickets at Rambhadra Bazar under Islampur upazila in Jamalpur. BNP activist Hossain Arif ,35, was shot dead in police firing at Kuliarchar in Kishoreganj. UNB reported the Jamalpur and the Kishoreganj deaths.
The hartal was marked by sporadic violence in the capital and elsewhere in the country. The BNP-led 18-party alliance called the 60-hour non-stop nationwide strike from 6 am on Sunday, dismissing the Prime Minister’s request to withdraw the shutdown.
In the capital, some pro-hartal activists exploded five crude bombs near Shonir Akhra Bridge and torched the Dania ward Awami League office in Jatrabari area in the morning.
Some picketers also exploded two hand bombs in Mohakhali around 6:05 am and torched a covered van at Kalshi Road in Pallabi around 6:20 am. Another group of pro-hartal activists exploded two crude bombs near the Dhaka Udyan in Mohammadpur area. The police detained two people from the area around 6:30 am.
A group of Opposition activists torched a truck in the Tejgaon industrial area and exploded three crude bombs in front of the Petrobangla office at Karwan Bazar area around 7 am. The police foiled a pro-hartal procession and fired several rounds of rubber bullets near Hossain Market in Badda area of the city around 7:20 am. Three crude bombs exploded in front of the Pran RFL Centre at Badda Link Road around 7:30 am.
Picketers hurled a crude bomb at the police at Badda Link Road around 7:25 am. Three people were detained from the spot in this connection.
The police dispersed a procession of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in Khilkhet area at Airport Road of the city around7:30 am. Two people were detained from the spot. Law enforcers also foiled a procession of the JCD and Jubo Dal in Rampura Bazar area and detained two people from the spot.
Hartal supporters set a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on fire in Hatirjheel area near Rampura around 8:10 am.
Two more crude bombs exploded in front of FDC Gate and one in Pallabi Bus Stand area of the city around 8:30 am. A mobile court sentenced three BNP activists to six months in jail for carrying patrol in the city.
Abdur Rahman (42), a day labourer, was seriously injured by the splinters of crude bombs hurled by some hartal supporters at Raysahebbazar of old Dhaka in the morning. A crude bomb exploded inside the Cuzon Hall of Dhaka University about 1 pm. However, no one was injured in this connection.
The Chhatra Dal of Dhaka University unit brought out a procession in support of the hartal in the morning.
Some hartal supporters hurled crude bombs at the vehicles of two private television channels– Channel24 and SATV– at Mogbazar and Malibagh, respectively, leaving Rashed Nizam of Channel24 injured.
A group of miscreants hurled crude bombs at the trial court of Dhaka in the afternoon, but no one was injured. Picketers set a private car on fire at Gulshan-2 crossing around 2:30 pm. However, the flames were soon doused.
The police recovered a crude bomb from the canteen of the National Board of Revenue in the afternoon. The Swechhasebak Dal brought out a procession in Matijheel area in the morning, but law enforcers dispersed it by firing blank shots.
The BNP brought out a procession, led by its joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, in front of its Naya Paltan party office, around 6 am and paraded several streets.
Most shops in the city, adjacent to the main thoroughfare, kept their shutters down. No inter-district buses left terminals. Traffic was thin on city streets, but rickshaws and CNG-run auto rickshaws were out in large numbers.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources said that they had detained 51 picketers for vandalising and torching vehicles and hurling crude bombs. Of the detained, 16 were sentenced to jail for six months each.
The Awami League and its front organisations brought out anti-hartal processions in different parts of the city.
As many as 20 people were injured as BNP-Jamaat activists clashed with AL men in Amtali upazila of Barguna district in the morning. Witnesses said the clash started when local ruling party men obstructed a procession brought out by BNP-Jamaat activists in front of the upazila health complex about 9 am.
In Gazipur, at least 10 people were injured in a clash between BNP men and the police at College Gate area of Tongi in the morning. According to witnesses, the BNP brought out a procession in the area, vandalised vehicles and exploded several crude bombs in the area. Later, the police fired several rounds of rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to bring the situation under control. The clash left 10 people injured.
In Comilla, 10 people, including four cops, were injured in a clash between hartal supporters and the police at Ramghatla in the morning. Eyewitnesses said law enforcers had fired around 110 rubber bullets and 35 teargas shells to disperse the hartal supporters. In retaliation, the Opposition party men exploded 50 crude bombs. At least 10 people were arrested from the spot.
In Rajshahi, five activists of the 18-party alliance, including city unit BNP general secretary Shafiqul Haque Milon, were injured in a clash with the police.
Witnesses said a group of activists had tried to vandalise several auto-rickshaws in Kadirganj area about 6.30 am. Later, the police fired rubber bullets and lobbed several teargas shells to disperse them, leaving five people injured.
In Bogra, Islami Chhatra Shibir activists staged demonstrations by torching tyres at the PTI intersection of the town in the morning.
Hartal supporters brought out a procession at Mafiz Pagla intersection, Khandar, Gohail Road and Matidali intersection of the town at 7 am. Another group of pro-hartal activists blocked the Dhaka-Bogra highway in Noymile area of Shajahanpur upazila in the morning. In Satkhira, BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out a procession from the district bus terminal around 9 am and vandalised a number of motorcycles.
In Lalmonirhat, at least 50 people were injured when the Lalmonirhat-bound Korotoa Express was derailed around 4:30 am after some miscreants uprooted six to seven feet of railway line near Mahendranagar Railway Station. Some passengers of the train alleged that they a group of masked goons had robbed them immediately after the derailment.
A four-member probe committee, headed by Lalmonirhat railway divisional traffic superintendent Mostafizur Rahman, was formed to investigate the incident.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Joypurhat, Iswardi, Sripur, Feni, Narayanganj, Sitakunda and Kumerkhali areas, which left at least 50 people injured.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources said that the law enforcers detained 51 picketers, while vandalizing and torching vehicles and hurling crude bombs. Of the detained, 16 have been sentenced to jail for six months each.
-With The Independent input
