Oppn calls hartal in Sirajganj, Bogra, Comilla, Rajshahi to protest deaths
At least seven people, including a member of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), were killed and over 200 injured as the BNP-led 18-party alliance supporters clashed with law enforcers and ruling alliance activists across the country on Tuesday, the first day of the 48-hour blockade programme. The opposition activists also uprooted rail tracks at several places, laid siege on major highways, and vandalised and set fire to scores of vehicles and several election offices.
The blockade programme almost crippled the public transport services across the country.
The opposition alliance is enforcing the nationwide rail-road-waterway blockade programme to protest the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary election and to push for their demand to hold the next general election under a non-party government.
BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the blockade that began at 6am Tuesday and will end at 6am Thursday.
Activists of the 18-party alliance earlier waged violent protests, immediately after the announcement of the polls schedule on Monday evening, leaving two people killed and over 100 injured.
With these deaths, the country witnessed the loss of 9 lives in two days of violent protests after the announcement of polls schedule.
Of the seven deaths on Tuesday, two each were reported from Satkhira and Comilla and one each from Bogra, Sirajganj and Feni. Among the victims, one was a BGB member, two were claimed to be opposition activists and two ruling alliance supporters.
Protesting the deaths of the opposition activists, local BNP units called dawn-to-dusk hartal in Sirajganj and Bogra, eight-hour in Comilla and half-day in Rajshahi for Wednesday.
In Comilla, BGB member Ripon Mia, 38, was killed during a clash with 18-party activists in Charmatha area.
Comilla police super Tutul Chakrabarti said that Ripon had received bullet injuries during the clash and was immediately taken to Comilla Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead. A police constable also received bullet injuries and was taken to the hospital, he added.
A rickshaw-puller was killed and 10 people were injured as the police opened fire on protestors at Daulatganj Dighir Par in Laksham upazila around 11am.
In Satkhira, local Juba League leader Mahmudul Islam Babu was beaten to death, allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir activists, at Alaipur of Koloroa upazila around 11am. A leader of the Olema League, Rabiul Islam, was also killed during clashes with Jamaat-Shibir activists.
In addition, more than 40 people were injured in a series of clashes between Jamaat-Shibir activists in different parts of the district. The law enforcers detained a Jamaat activist from Itagachha.
In Sirajganj, a pedestrian, Sakman Ali, 26, was killed and 25 people were injured as BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with the police and ruling Awami League activists.
Witnesses said BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with police at Jogaiyer intersection area of the town around 8am and vandalised vehicles. At one stage, law enforces fired rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the activists. Hit by a teargas shell, Sakman jumped into a nearby pond and died there.
Claiming Sakman as their party activist, the Sirajgnaj district BNP has called a daylong hartal for Wednesday, in protest against his death
In Bogra, district Juba Dal organising secretary Yusuf was killed and 20 others injured during clashes with law enforcers at Banani intersection of the town.
Earlier, a group of masked people torched the Sadar election office around 12:30pm, leaving the upazila election officer and three others injured. Fire fighters later doused the flame.
In Feni, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver was killed in an attack by blockaders at Shaheed Shahidullah Kaisar road in the town on Tuesday night, according to a UNB report.
In the capital, at least 30 people, including three journalists and five policemen, were injured as opposition supporters clashed with law enforcers at different places.
The three journalists were injured when two crude bombs were exploded in front of the BNP office at Nayapaltan around 7:30pm.
The were identified as Sajeda Sheoly, staff reporter of Bangla news 24.com, camera person of the Independent Television Khaled Ferdous Chandan and Mahmud Siraj, staff reporter of SA TV. They were rushed to DMCH.
Hospital sources said the journalists had sustained splinter injuries in their legs and they were out of danger.
Pro-blockade activists set fire to a CNG-run auto rickshaw in front of Mouchak market in the evening, leaving the CNG driver, Nizam Uddin, 38, critically injured.
In another incident, Babu Ahmed, 35 and Dhaka University student Arzun sustained injuries at Dhanmondi area in front LabAid Hospital when pro-blockade activists set fire to a bus around 6:00pm. They were undergoing at DMCH.
In Rayerbagh, Jamaat-Shibir activists exploded several crude bombs and set fire to a human hauler around 8:30pm.
Kaikobad Kazi, officer-in-charge of Dakshinkhan Police Station, sustained injuries during a clash with opposition activists in Azampur of Uttara, said SA Newazi, senior assistant commissioner (Airport Zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Four more policemen were also injured in the incident. Law enforcers rounded up seven people from Uttara.
Three people were injured when miscreants set fire to five vehicles and vandalised 16 others at Uttara, on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Jatrabari and the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Aminbazar.
The driver of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw sustained burn injuries when pro-blockade activists allegedly set fire to his vehicle near Eastern Plaza Market in Hatirpool around 1 pm.
Opposition supporters blasted at least nine crude bombs in Uttara, Nayapaltan and Aminbazar.
Miscreants also vandalised a bus at Tongi Bazar near Abdullahpur around 2:30pm.
Opposition supporters exploded a crude bomb near the BNP central office in Naya Paltan around 11:15am. The police fired seven to eight warning shots.
In Shantinagar, a woman was critically injured after she was hit by a cocktail around 3:30pm. She was admitted to DMCH ‘critically’.
Law enforcers including police, RAB and BGB remained on high alert at different strategic points to avert any untoward incident in the capital.
In Savar, blockaders vandalised two school buses, leaving five students injured.
In Laxmipur, at least 30 crude bombs were blasted at different places of the district. Blockaders torched a motorbike in Uttar bus stand area and a portrait of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Dalal Bazar.
In Noakhali, at least 20 people were injured in a clash between the police and opposition activists at Maijdi Court area. Of them, five were hit by bullets.
In Gazipur, blockaders vandalised five vehicles in Kaliganj upazila. Police detained a man from the upazila headquarters.
In Pabna, train communications on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes remained suspended for nearly three hours after a group of blockaders torched Dhaka-bound “Sirajganj Express” at Ishwardi Railway Station around 7am.
In Rajshahi, at least 50 people, including BNP city unit general secretary Shafiqul Haque Milon, were injured in a clash with the police
when they tried to block Zero Point in Sahebazar area of the city.
In Khulna, 18-party activists locked in a clash at the Power House intersection. They vandalised at least 25 trucks and blockaded Rupsha Ferryghat, Natun Rasta intersection and Fulbaria Gate.
In Mymensingh, five people were injured as blockaders removed fishplates from the railway tracks in Gouripur upazila around 5am, halting rail communications between Mymensingh and Netrakona.
In Habiganj, at least 20 people were injured in a clash between local BNP activists and the police. One person was detained from the spot.
In Kurigram, activists of 18-party alliance blockaded roads and railways in different upazilas. Local AL supporters and Jamaat-Shibir men locked in a clash at Pateshwari Bazar of the Sadar Upazila, leaving 10 people injured.
In Cox’s Bazar, blockaders vandalised at least 12 vehicles, including a media transport, at different points of the town. Five persons were arrested in this connection.
Reports of violence also came from Jessore, Narsingdhi and Sylhet.
From Tuesday evening, a joint combing operation by BGB, RAB and police have started in different areas, including Satkhira, Bogra, Comilla, Sirajganj, Chittagong and Narsingdi to bring the law and order situation under control.
A number of BNP-led 18-party alliance activists were detained in the drive.
-With The Independent input
