Another victim of bus arson dies
Sporadic clashes between the police and opposition activists, torching of vehicles and crude bomb blasts at places across the country marked the second day of the 72-hour rail-road-waterway blockade on Sunday leaving one killed. Besides, another victim of bus arson by blockaders succumbed to her injuries in Savar on Sunday night. Chhatra League activist Masud Ahmed, 24, who suffered severe injuries in clashes with blockaders at Sunamganj around noon on Sunday died at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet at about 8:30pm, said the hospital’s on-duty doctor Md Rajib.
Rehana Akhter, who suffered appalling burns after blockaders set fire to a bus at Rajphoolbaria in Savar on December 2, died at the intensive care unit of Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar around 8:00pm on Sunday, hospital sources said.
A daylong general strike in Dhaka and some districts, also called by the opposition alliance, coincided with the blockade.
The blockade continued to disrupt communications between the capital and the rest of the country imposing a heavy toll on the economy and causing suffering to the people.
The blockade – third in a series in past couple of weeks enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance – will end at 6:00am Tuesday if it is not extended further as done in the cases of the past two spells.
Besides, the Dhaka city unit of BNP and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal enforced a 12-hour hartal in the capital on the day in protest at the arrest of the city unit convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka and Chhatra Dal president Abdul Kader Bhuiyan.
Opposition activists blasted crude bombs and marched in processions in different parts of the capital, including Uttar Badda, Naya Bazar and Basabo, and set a bus ablaze at Matuail in Demra around 6:00am.
Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami clashed with the police at Bijaynagar Sunday night and torched a bus at Gulshan after it announced a daylong strike for today in protest against the issuance of death warrant for war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla.
Reports from Barisal said pickets had set fire to a bus and an auto-tempo at Kalizira on the outskirts of the southern city and also tried to torch a truck a Rupatali but failed as their rivals chased them away.
Activists of the BNP-led alliance blocked roads, exploded crude bombs and held demonstrations on Nabagram road, Bogra road and Kawnia and BM College areas of the city in the morning. They also blocked Barisal-Dhaka highway, Barisal-Banaripara road and Barisal-Babuganj road at different points.
The police also arrested city unit Chhatra Dal organising secretary Riazur Rahman Riaz on charge of vandalism.
In Sylhet, police picked up six activists of Swechchhasebak Dal and Chhatra Dal from a procession in front of Shahjalal’s shrine. The police chased the marchers as they were approaching Ambarkhana from Chowhatta area and arrested the six men. Pickets also vandalised nine CNG-run auto-rickshaws in different areas of the city.
The correspondent in Lalmonirhat reported that police had arrested acting amir of Hatibandha unit Jamaat-e-Islami Hossain Ali and five more activists of Jamaat and BNP in connection with recent acts of railway sabotage in Hatibandha, Patgram and Kaliganj upazilas in the district.
Assistant superintendent of police in Lalmonirhat Mahfuzul Islam said those detained had been involved in the sabotage in Hatibandha and Kaliganj upazilas.
At least 10 people were injured as blockaders clashed with police at Sonaimuri in Noakhali when the police tried to disperse them in the morning.
Reports from Laxmipur said that Jamaat-Shibir activists put barricades at different points on Laxmipur-Dhaka highway.
Blockaders vandalised a covered van of a courier service at Harishpur bypass crossing in Natore.
They also blocked Bogra-Rangpur highway by burning tyres and putting logs at Matidali crossing.
In Narail, blockaders put up barricade at Taltala on Narail-Lohagara road and at Tolaram on Narail-Jessore road and blasted several crude bombs.
Opposition activists also held a rally at Kadamtala on Satkhira-Jessore road and put barricade there.
-With New Age input
