The 10-hour-long countrywide hartal called by the Jamaat-e-Islami was observed amid stray incidents of violence on Thursday. However, the shutdown was no bar for Eid shoppers, as they began thronging shopping arcades and roadside stores.
The hartal, the fourth in a row, was called by the Jamaat-e-Islami in protest against the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) verdict against its secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid. The ICT-2 on Wednesday handed out capital punishment to Mojahid for committing atrocities against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
A large number of shops was open and movement of vehicular traffic, including private cars, was normal. Security was also tightened to prevent any untoward incidents during the hartal.
Meanwhile, following the request of the Hindu community, the Jamaat reduced the hartal timings by two hours due to Rath Jatra festival in the afternoon.
Many people went for Eid shopping during the Ramzan ignoring the hartal, as shops were open since the morning.
Long-distance buses from Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Saidabad bus terminals did not operate. However, train and launch services were normal. A large number of rickshaws and auto-rickshaws also plied the streets.
The hartal supporters tried to stop the traffic in the morning by setting fire to buses and pelting stones at passing vehicles at Mirpur, Jatrabari, Khilgaon, Sabujbagh and Dolairpar in the city.
Jamaat-Shibir activists also brought out processions and took part in picketing at Kamrangirchar, Lalbagh, Chakbazar, Shajahanpur, Kafrul, Bhasantek, Pallabi, Hazaribagh, Dakkhin Khan and Uttara areas in favour of their hartal.
However, acting secretary general of Jamaat Rafiqul Islam Khan in a statement congratulated the people of the country for making the hartal a success.
Jamaat-Shibir activists, who brought out a procession at Dhalpur area near Jatrabari at 8:45 am, exploded a number of Molotov cocktails and vandalised a bus before setting fire to it.
Led by Habibur Rahman, Jamaat brought out a procession at Wireless Gate area and put up blockades on rail tracks.
They also brought out processions at Maghbazar intersection and Madhubagh areas.
In Rajshahi, Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed with police, injuring at least 10 people. The police fired rubber bullets to disperse the Jamaat-Shibir activists, who retaliated by hurling home-made bombs at the police.
In Chittagong, the picketers exploded home-made bombs in Baklia thana area, vandalised a tempo and set it ablaze.
Though the Jamaat-Shibir activists tried to spread panic by blasting Molotov cocktails and vandalising vehicles early in the morning, for the fourth consecutive day, the people in the port city defied the hartal and came out on the streets in large numbers.
Unlike other hartal days, vehicular movement of both public and private transport was normal from the morning. As the day progressed, the traffic became heavier, causing congestion in some areas.
In Barisal, Jamaat-Shibir activists staged demonstrations in different parts of the city. They blasted Molotov cocktails and put up road blockades. Witnesses said the Jamaat-Shibir activists put up road blockades and exploded Molotov cocktails in the BM School and Nathullabad areas around 5 am.
Hartal supporters pelted stones, damaging two vehicles including a truck and a battery-operated auto-rickshaw, in the city. Two Jamaat activists were arrested.
In Narayanganj, Shibir activists brought out a procession and set a van on fire and vandalised a number of vehicles at Kashipur under Fatullah upazila.
-With The Independent input
