More than 100 people were injured in incidents of stray violence on the second day of the 60-hour countrywide hartal called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday. The shutdown programme will end at 6 pm on Wednesday. In the capital, some picketers exploded 10-12 crude bombs in front of Wasa Bhaban in Kawran Bazar around 6:55 am and left the scene hurriedly.
Hartal supporters exploded three crude bombs in Lalbagh area around 7:15am.
A group of picketers set a human hauler of ‘Bandhu Paribahan’ on fire at Rampura Bridge around 5 am. Police picked up one of them from the spot.
Six live bombs were recovered at 6:50 am in front of the residence of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor.
Another group of pro-hartal supporters exploded one crude bomb inside the Mohakhali kitchen market around 6:40 am.
Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, female front of the BNP, brought out a procession at Aftabnagar around 7:15 am. Later, police arrested two activists of the organisation from the spot.
Some activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student body of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, brought out separate processions at Noyatola of Moghbazar and Shahjadpur at around 6 am, in support of the hartal. On receiving the news, police rushed to the spot dispersed the activists.
A group of pro-hartal activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, students’ wing of the BNP, brought out a procession in Subasto Najar Valley area of Progato Sarani in the morning. They fled the scene before law enforcers approached the area.
Police detained three Chhatra Dal activists from Hatirpul area in the morning. They were preparing to bring out a procession in the area. The law enforcers also detained two Mahila Dal activists from Rampura and dispersed their procession.
Some Sramik League activists attacked on-duty journalists at Bangsal area in Old Dhaka around 8:30 am. The attack was carried out in front of law enforcers and they did not take any action to save the journalists. The wounded journalists were Arifur Rahman, senior reporter of ATN TV, Ainal Ahmed, cameraman of ATN TV, Kabirul Islam Pintu, senior cameraman of ATN Bangla, and a photo-journalist of Daily Janakantha.
A tense situation prevailed on the Jatiya Sangsad premises as ruling lawmakers, led by Opu Ukil and some activists of Mahila Awami League, chased opposition lawmakers when the latter brought out a procession in support of the hartal. Later, law enforcers brought the situation under control.
Police detained two people from a procession which was brought out in front of the BNP central party office in the afternoon.
Hartal supporters exploded more than 100 crude bombs in Mahakhali, Rampura, Khilgaon, Malibagh and Gulshan areas, creating panic among local residents. Police detained five people from different parts of the capital.
Large contingents of law enforcers, including the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were present on city streets.
According to sources in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) headquarters, more than 12,000 additional policemen were put on alert at different strategic points of the city to avoid any untoward incident. Besides, plainclothes police remained on the streets with still and video cameras for identifying troublemakers during the hartal hours.
Educational institutions and shopping malls remained closed. However, government and non-government offices in the capital were open, though with thin attendance.
Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported from elsewhere in the country.
In Laxmipur, picketers exploded at least 15 crude bombs in Dakkhin Tehmuhni in the morning. BNP and Jamaat activists brought out separate processions in front of Adarsha Samad Academy, Uttar bus stand, Dakkhin Temuhni and Alia Madrasa areas of the district town.
Earlier, police detained 11 Jamaat-Shibir activists from different places of Komolganj upazila in the early hours of Tuesday. At least 25 people were injured in a fierce clash between BNP-Jamaat and AL supporters during the hartal.
Witnesses said some hartal supporters brought out a procession at Jaksin Bazar. At the same time, local AL and Juba League activists brought out anti-hartal processions and exploded several crude bombs in the same area. This resulted in a clash, leaving at least 25 persons injured.
In Bogra, some 40-50 hartal supporters blocked the railway line at Bogra Railway Station around 8:30 am. Police dispersed the picketers by firing rubber bullets and teargas shells. The hartal supporters hurled crude bombs and stones at a train near Bogra Railway Station, leaving 10 passengers injured.
In Chittagong, two children were injured in a bomb blast during the hartal. The incident took place near the Jhautala railway slum around 12.30 pm, when the children were playing with a live bomb, mistaking it for a tennis ball.The bomb went off when they were unwrapping the tape.
-With The Independent input
