Fifth day of blockade
Eight people, including a college student, were killed and 100 others injured in the capital and elsewhere in the country on the fifth day of the blockade programme, called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, on Wednesday. Among the deceased, five died in a train derailment incident in Gaibandha, three others were killed – one each in Feni, Nawabganj and Dhaka. In Dhaka, Wahidur Rahman Babu (21), a first-year student of the philosophy department of Dhaka College, succumbed on Wednesday after he sustained severe burn injuries when miscreants set fire to a bus at Shahbagh area in the city on November 28.
So far, a total of 30 people have been killed during the second phase of the 131-hour-long blockade that began on Saturday morning. The first phase of the blockade programme, which lasted for 71 hours from November 26-28, claimed at least 23 lives.
Incidents of violence were reported from different districts. Opposition supporters blocked railway tracks and snapped rail communication on some routes on Wednesday.
In the capital, at least six people, including an assistant commissioner of Motijheel zone, received splinter injuries in different areas.
Miscreants hurled at least five crude bombs at an anti-blockade procession of transport workers at the Gabtoli
Bus Terminal around 12:10pm, leaving four people wounded. Two bikers were injured when a group of blockaders attacked them at Shanir Akhra area in the city.
Law enforcers fired around 20 rubber bullets to disperse blockaders when they exploded at least 10 bombs at Jatrabari intersection.
A number of city buses plied the city streets, though long-haul buses remained grounded.
A mobile court sentenced an activist of the Swechchhasebak Dal to a year in jail. The activist was detained by the police, with two homemade bombs in his possession, from Badda area in the city.
The police also rounded up four Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists, with several cocktails in their possession, from Pallabi area.
An arson incident was reported from Old Dhaka, while explosions were reported from Pallabi, Gabtoli and Nayapaltan areas.
Pro-blockade activists hurled nearly 12 crude bombs at the police, just opposite the BNP central office, around 2pm, leaving assistant police commissioner Mohammad Saiful Islam injured.
Some blockaders exploded eight crude bombs at Pallabi bus stand and adjoining areas in the morning.
In Old Dhaka, miscreants torched a bus at Tatibazar area of Old Dhaka around 9:15am. No one was injured in the incident.
In Gabtoli, blockaders exploded three crude bombs near a police outpost around 10:45am.
In Gaibandha, at least five passengers were killed and 35 others injured when Santahar-bound Padmarag Express derailed at Bonarpara around 1:30am. The train derailed because miscreants removed fish-plates from the railway tracks. The police arrested two suspects in this connection.
Local people claimed that two bodies were recovered from scene within one hour of the incident, while two others were recovered in the morning. One critically injured passenger succumbed to his wounds around 10:30am at the Gaibandha Sadar Hospital.
Sazid Hossain, superintendent of police (SP) in Gaibandha, however, told The Independent, “Three people were killed in the incident. But the death toll might increase as many passengers still remain trapped inside the derailed compartments.”
A salvage train from Bonarpara and fire-fighters managed to remove the derailed compartments from the railway tracks more than nine hours after the accident. Of the injured, seven people are said to be in critical condition.
Our Feni correspondent reports, a Jubo Dal leader was killed and at least 50 including three policemen were injured during a clash between the youth wing of BNP and law enforcers at Sadar upazila of Feni on Wednesday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Harun Ur Rashid, 38, the vice president of Farhadnagar union Jubo Dal unit in the upazila, said Dr Alauddin Majumder of Feni Sadar Hospital.
The clash erupted as activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League, student and youth wings of ruling Awami League, allegedly hurled five cocktails on a Jubo Dal procession on Trunk Road around at around 4:15pm.
Enraged, with the bomb blasts, in an instant protest, hundreds of opposition activists attacked and vandalised roadside shops, banks and police camps with brick chips and sticks.
In retaliation, police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel opened fire on the mob leaving 50 people injured.
Bullet injured Harun was rushed to Feni Sadar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at around 6:30pm.
In Nawabganj, BNP Nawanbganj upazila joint secretary Mohammad Alam died in cardiac arrest when the pro-blockade activists locked clashes with police in front of Surganj BNP office at around 12:30pm.
Witnesses said, the pro-blockade activists put blockade on the road and vandalised two easy bikes and a bus of Jamuna Paribahan as police charged batons they hurled brickbats on police leaving officer-in-charge of Nawabganj police station Masud Karim injured.
The officer-in-charge of Nawabganj police station Masud Karim told The Independent, “During the clash Mohammad was faced cardiac arrest and immediately rushed to Nawabganj upazila Health complex as the physicians shifted him to Dhaka he was died on his way to Dhaka.”
In Khulna, at least 10 passengers were injured as five compartments of Khulna-bound Nakshikatha derailed after blockade supporters removed fish-plates from the railway tracks near Bejerdanga Rail Station in Phultala upazila around 1:30am. Train communication between of Khulna and northern districts remained suspended following the incident.
Ekram Ali Molla, officer-in-charge of Khulna Government Railway Police Station, said the train was coming from Goalonda of Rajbari with passengers and daily essentials on Tuesday evening. The injured passengers received first aid from a local hospital, he added.
A relief train from Khulna Railway Station has already reached the spot and is working to restore the rail link, said the OC.
In Chandpur, three compartments of Meghna Express derailed following removal of fish-plates in the wee hours of Wednesday. No injury was reported.
Train service between Chandpur and Chittagong came to a halt as three compartments of Intercity Meghna Express veered off the tracks in between Shahtoli and Madhuroad, on the outskirts of the town.
The derailment took place as miscreants had removed fish-plates from the tracks. No one was injured in the incident, according to sources.
Our Chittagong correspondent reports that a few stray incidents marked the blockade in the port city. Three 18-party picketers set fire to a bus at Sholoshahar area under Panchlaish Police Station. Shah Mohammad Abdur Rauf, assistant commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (Panchlaish Zone) confirmed the incident.
A CNG auto-rickshaw driver and a passenger were injured when some blockaders hurled brick-bats at them at Charia Buri Pukur area under Hathazari upazila. The injured were identified as Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Tarek, and were admitted to CMCH.
However, BNP activists, led by central vice- president Abdullah Al Noman, held a procession at Kazir Dewry area in the morning.
As three bogies of Meghna Express derailed in Comilla, no train from Dhaka and Sylhet reached the port city till late in the afternoon. The railway authorities had to cancel five trains on the day.
Our Barisal correspondent reports that the opposition alliance observed the blockade in the district. The police fired 18 rounds of bullets and dispersed a group of picketers at Satmail area on the Barisal-Dhaka highway area this morning. The picketers hurled cocktails at the police, injuring 12 people, including two policemen, at that time.
The Barisal police continued to raid the houses of the BNP and Jammat-Shibir leaders and arrested about 17 people. Rejecting their bail prayers, the court sent them to jail.
In Jhenidah, a clash ensued when law enforcers resisted the opposition’s procession around 11am at Arappur Bus Stand area in the town, said Nazrul Islam, assistant superintendent of police (ASP). The police charged batons and fired 30 rounds of rubber bullets to disperse the activists, leaving at least 15 people injured.
In Lalmonirhat, Jamaat-Shibir activists attacked a team of 12 policemen when they tried to arrest Jamaat leader Shahidul Islam at Kafir Bazar area of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat around 1:00pm. The law enforcers were forced to fire several rounds of rubber bullets, leaving at least 12 people, including three policemen, injured.
In Rajshahi, activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir exploded three patrol bombs and two crude bombs inside the administration building of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology around 12 noon, said Abdul Majid, officer-in-charge of Matihar Police Station.
-With The Independent input
