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
