Four people were killed in violence on Tuesday, the first day of the fourth spell of the 72-hour-long countrywide blockade programme, called by the BNP-led 18-Party alliance.
The 18-party alliance called the blockade, demanding that the next election should be held under a non-party poll-time administration and that the already announced date for the 10th parliamentary election should be postponed. The blockade will continue till 6am on Friday. The opposition alliance has already enforced 346 hours of blockade across the country in three spells after announcement of the election schedule for the next poll. At least 75 people have lost their lives so far during different phases of the blockade programme.
Juba League activist Kiron Patwari (33), son of Munsur Pathan was hacked to death by 10-12 unidentified men at Char Mohona union of Roypura upazila in Lakshmipur. Juba League blamed Jamat-Shibir activists for the killing.
In Satkhira, a local AL leader was stabbed to death, allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir supporters at Bishnupur in Kaliganj upazila on Tuesday. The victim was identified as Moslem Ali (60), president of the Bishnupur union unit of Awami League and a resident of Mukundapur village in the upazila. Joydev Chowdhury, assistant superintendent of police, said Jamaat-Shibir supporters are being suspected for killing Moslem as he had assisted the police during their recent drives.
Our Noakhali correspondent reports that the police have recovered the bodies of two BNP supporters at Battali under Sadar upazila in Laximpur district in the early hours of morning. The deceased were identified as Abdul Mannan (26) and Johirul Islam (36).
Local sources said when some people were returning home after Fazar prayers, they found two bodies near a canal at the Palli Biddyut Station and immediately informed the police about it. The bodies were sent to hospital morgue for autopsy.
Main Uddin Chowdury Riaz, president of the Sadar upazila BNP, told this correspondent that the two persons were missing from Sunday after the joint forces’ drive in the village.
Sources said the there were bullet marks on the dead bodies. However, local officer-in-charge Iqbal Hossain claimed that cases were lodged against the victims at the police station.
Abdur Rahman (51), a Jamaat activist who had received bullet injuries in a clash between the police and Jamaat-Shibir supporters in Joypurhat Sadar on Sunday, died at a private clinic in Dhaka on Monday midnight, raising the death toll from the incident to four.
In the capital, blockaders set fire to an office of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the ruling Awami League, at Mirpur-14 area around 6am. Activists of the Tejgaon industrial area thana unit of Jubo Dal brought out a procession in support of the blockade around 7:30am.
Two crude bombs exploded in front of the BUET Shaheed Minar around 12 noon. Later, activists of the Chhatra League attacked two Chhatra Dal activists and recovered two live bombs. Later, they were handed over to the police. However, the two Chhatra Dal activists—Akter Hossain and Nowshed Prince—claimed that they were reporters of an online media outlet. Blockaders exploded six crude bombs at Chodhurypara of Malibagh area in the city in the morning.
In Rampura, law enforcers detained four Shibir activists from Boubazar area at 7am when they tried to bring out a procession.
The Khilkhet area unit of Chhatra Dal brought out a procession at the rail crossing area and blasted several crude bombs around 9am.
Two crude bombs exploded in front of the Dhaka DC office around 2:55pm. The police fired four rounds of blank shots to bring the situation under control. Golam Mortuza Antik, an advocate, was picked up from the spot in suspicion of the incident.
Traffic in the city was normal, while law enforcers took position at different strategic points to prevent any untoward situation during the blockade.
In Manikganj, blockaders set fire to a truck at the Dhaka-Aricha highway under Gheor upazila around 7am. However, no one was injured in the incident, police sources said.
Miscreants also torched three vehicles on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Fakirhat area of Shitakudu at 11:00pm.
-With The Independent input
