Sunday, November 3, 2024

One killed on 3rd day of hartal

Sporadic incidents of violence in the capital and elsewhere in the country marked the third day of the nationwide 84-hour non-stop hartal, enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 18-party alliance, on Tuesday. Asadul Islam (28), a Juba Dal activist and son of Azizul Islam of Adarsha Gram in Pabna, was killed when he fell into a pond at Moladuli Road around 8am after the police chased him during picketing in a nearby area.
Iswardi Police Station’s officer-in-charge Bimal Kumar Das denied the death of Asadul in police action.
The continuous hartal that has virtually isolated the capital from the rest of the country will end at 6 pm on Wednesday.
On Sunday and Monday, one person was killed and around 265 people were injured across the country. Law enforcers detained at least 226 opposition activists during the hartal.
Stray incidents of violence marked the hartal in the capital.
Shibir activists vandalised several vehicles and blasted eight crude bombs at Uttara. Meanwhile, pickets blasted four crude bombs at Shantinagar intersection around 7pm.
At the same time, two crude bombs were blasted in front of the BNP central office at Nayapaltan. Hartal supporters set a bus on fire at Abdullahpur.
A woman was injured when pickets blasted three cocktails at Mahakhali at 6:10pm. Hartal supporters exploded four crude bombs at Kajla in Jatrabari in the evening. A bus was also vandalised at the Science Laboratory around 7:45pm.
Earlier in the day, a security guard was injured as picketers blasted five bombs in Baridhara around 7:10 am.
BNP activists brought out a procession in support of the hartal in Mirpur-14. They set a bus on fire and blasted two crude bombs around 7 am. Later, the procession was dispersed by the police.
Some Shibir activists brought out a procession at Bibir Bagicha of Jatrabari around 6:45 am. A street cleaner was injured by crude bombs hurled by a group of picketers at the Roy Saheb Bazar intersection in the morning.
Picketers blasted three crude bombs at Progati Sarani of Shahjadpur, creating panic in the area. Another group of hartal supporters set a bus on fire at the Madhaya Badda area in the morning.
Some Chhatra Shibir activists brought out a procession and torched a pickup van. They vandalised several vehicles in Jatrabari area in the morning.
Law enforcers detained two people near the BNP’s central office at Nayapaltan. They are Islamic Party secretary general Abdur Rashid Prodhan and Krishak Dal leader Sultan Ahmed. Police recovered eight crude bombs from the Azimpur graveyard around 9 am.
Hartal supporters blasted five crude bombs in Dholaikhal area, leaving a pedestrian injured.
At least eight people sustained burn injuries when picketers set a running bus on fire at Matuail around 2:15 pm. The injured were admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The activists blasted eight crude bombs, set a pickup van on fire and vandalised five vehicles. Members of police and RAB dispersed them by firing several rounds of bullets.
A group of picketers set a bus of Su-Provat Paribahan ablaze under a footbridge of Maddhya Badda around 7:10 am.
Hartal supporters vandalised a passenger bus and blasted several crude bombs at the Paltan intersection around 1 pm. At least 15 people were picked up by the police from the spot.
A 12-year-old boy was injured in a crude bomb explosion in Fakirapul area in the morning. At least 50 crude bombs were exploded in Magbazar, Malibagh rail gate, Chowdhury Para of Malibagh, Mirpur-10, Mohakhali kitchen market and Gabtali bus stand during the hartal.
DMP sources said over 10,000 to 12,000 additional police personnel have been put on alert at different strategic points of the city to avert any untoward incident. Members of Border Guard Bangladesh and plainclothes policemen have also been put on alert.
Educational institutions and shopping malls remained closed, but government and non-government offices in the capital were open, albeit with lower attendance. No long-route bus left the bus terminals. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets as only a few motorised vehicles were available for city commuters.
The ruling Awami League and its front organisations brought out anti-hartal processions in different parts of the capital.
Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported from different districts of the country.
In Laxmipur, picketers exploded at least 18 crude bombs in front of Officers’ Club, Adarsha Samad High School and Uttar Temuhni of the district town.
In Rangpur, law enforcers detained five Chhatra Dal leaders on charges of carrying out subversive activities. Earlier, Chhatra Shibir activists vandalised several vehicles and blasted several crude bombs. In Bogra, at least four crude bombs exploded at Matidali.
Picketers vandalised at least five auto-rickshaws at Pabna Police Line Road in the morning. Law enforcers raided different areas of the district and detained 16 BNP-Jamaat activists.
In Gaibandha, hartal supporters vandalised a branch of Sonali Bank at Polashbari in the morning, leaving one person injured.
In Gazipur, police arrested four picketers, including BNP Bason unit president Hazrat Ali, from Nagpara area near the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
In Jhenidah, law enforcers recovered nine bombs from an abandoned bathroom at Baparipara under Jhenidah Municipality.
In Munshiganj, hartal supporters vandalised three auto-rickshaws.

-With The Independent input

Related News

Policymakers unaware of people’s struggles as they don’t rely on public transport, says Road Safety Foundation

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Those responsible for public transport policymaking in the country do not use public transport in the capital, so they do not understand the sufferings people endure, Road Safety Foundation (RSF) Chairman AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed said today (2 November). The chairman of the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, ... Read more

Job aspirants can now try 4 times for BCS exam

News Desk : dhakamirror.com From now a job seekers will be able to sit for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations up to a maximum of four times. This decision was taken at a meeting of the advisory council chaired by chief adviser Dr Mohammad Yunus at his office on Thursday, said a press release from ... Read more

Load-shedding surpasses 1,500MW as Adani reduces generation

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Load shedding exceeded 1,500MW on Friday after yet another power producer, the Adani power limited, cut its production due to non-payment of bills. Grappling with a dollar crisis for more than two years, Bangladesh’s dues to power plants jumped to over Tk 43,000 crore in July. Adani’s outstanding bill stood at ... Read more

DU-affiliated 7-college students block Science Laboratory for 2nd consecutive day

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Students of seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University (DU) have blocked the Science Lab intersection in the capital on Wednesday for the second consecutive day to press home their demand for a separate autonomous university. They blocked the crossing at about 11:00am halting vehicular movement. Students of the seven colleges — ... Read more

Madrasa student drowns in Cox’s Bazar

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A madrasa student drowned near the beach in Cox’s Bazar around 12:30pm today (26 October). The incident happened at Sugandha Point, confirmed Executive Magistrate of Tourism Division of Cox’s Bazar district administration Md Tanvir Hossain. The deceased has been identified as Mahmudur Rahman, son of Didarul Alam from Banglabazar area under ... Read more

Cyclone Dana turns into land depression

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cyclone “Dana” over North Odisha and adjoining area moved and weakened North-Northwestwards and now lies over the same area as a land depression. It is likely to move West-Northwestwards further and weaken gradually and will become insignificant, said a Met office bulletin on Saturday, reports UNB. “Light to moderate rain or ... Read more

Maximum entry age for public jobs to be 32

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has approved raising the maximum age for applying for public service jobs to 32 years. This decision was made at a meeting of the interim government’s advisory council, said a press release issued by the Cabinet Division today. The current age threshold is 30, and 32 for children of ... Read more

Cyclone Dana heads towards India

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Skies remained overcast all over Bangladesh amidst light to heavy rains accompanied by gusts as the cyclonic storm Dana barreled down the Bay of Bengal towards the Indian coast between Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday. Forecasters said that Bangladesh has little to worry about as the cyclone was moving away ... Read more

Gold price crosses Tk 1.4 lakh per bhori

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (Bajus) today (19 October) increased the price of gold by Tk2,613 per bhori, followed by a price hike in the local bullion market. According to a Bajus statement, 22-carat gold will now cost Tk1,40,061 per bhori (11.664 grams). The new rate will be effective from tomorrow (20 ... Read more

Low pressure likely to form in Bay on Tuesday: BMD

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A low pressure is likely to form over the central Bay of Bengal around Tuesday, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said today. In its latest weather bulletin, BMD said rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet divisions and ... Read more

Interim govt approves 11-day Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha holidays, 2-day for Durga Puja

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The interim government today extended the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays to five days, Eid-ul-Azha holidays to six days and Sharadiya Durga Puja holidays to two days for 2025, according to the Chief Adviser’s Office. Currently, there are three-day public holidays for each Eid and one day for Durga Puja. The list of public ... Read more

Two entire families lost to a road accident in Pirojpur

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least eight people from two families, including four children, died after a private car plunged into a roadside canal in Pirojpur early today. The deceased are Shawon, 32, his wife Amina, 25, their two children Sahadat, 7, and Abdullah, 3, from Bhaijhora village of Pirojpur’s Nazirpur upazila and Motaleb Sheikh, ... Read more

Italian embassy to resolve 20,000 visa applications by December: Foreign adviser

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said that the Italian Embassy in Dhaka will clear 20,000 visa applications by December as many visa applications had been pending for a long time. “Twenty thousand visa cases have been cleared from Rome. [However] Progress in issuing those visas is very slow. ... Read more

Prof Mobasser Monem appointed as new PSC Chairman

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has appointed Dr Mobasser Monem, a Professor of Governance and Public Management at the University of Dhaka, as the new Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC). Along with Professor Monem, four others have been appointed as members of the BPSC. The four members are– Md Suzayet Ullah, ... Read more

Govt urges IOM to evacuate Bangladeshis

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka has requested the International Organisation for Migration to arrange chartered flights to bring back Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon amid airstrikes by Israel on the West Asian country. ‘We have requested the IOM to arrange flights to evacuate Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon. But Beirut’s airport is currently unsafe for ... Read more

Flood puts hundreds at risk of starvation

Emran Hossain The ongoing flash flooding puts hundreds of farmer families at immediate risk of starvation in Sherpur district, washing away the rice they stored from the previous harvest and also destroying the standing paddy fields. The divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension estimated that the flood affected 97,000 hectares of standing aman ... Read more

Price hikes strain people

Moinul Haque The soaring prices of essential commodities, including rice, vegetables, eggs and broiler chicken, put increasing pressure on the low-income people, pushing them further to the wall. Market analysts have expressed concerns over the unusual spiralling of prices of the essentials, criticising the interim government for its failure to take timely action to protect ... Read more

Four days Durga Puja holiday starting from Thursday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s interim government has announced an additional public holiday on Thursday, October 10, for Durga Puja, the largest religious celebration of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, says a press release. During a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to chief adviser, made ... Read more

Tiger population in Sundarbans rises to 125

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The number of Royal Bengal tigers in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans has increased to 125. The Ministry of Forests has published the results of the third phase of the tiger census. The survey was conducted between June 2023 and March 2024 to observe the population of the national animal of Bangladesh. Environment, forest ... Read more

Environment ministry asks BRTA to remove unfit vehicles from streets

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The environment, forest and climate change ministry on Sunday sent a letter to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority requesting removal of buses, minibuses, trucks and covered vans exceeded their economic life from roads in an effort to reduce air pollution. The ministry, in a press release, also urged the authority to ... Read more