Stray incidents of violence marked the second day of the nationwide 84-hour hartal, enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 18-party alliance, on Monday. As many as 30 vehicles were vandalised and more than 50 people were injured while police detained more than 50 hartal supporters, mainly Jamaat-Shibir activists, from different parts in the country. The opposition alliance is enforcing the hartal to press home its demand for elections under a non-party caretaker government and to protest against the arrest of its top leaders. The shutdown will end at 6 pm on Wednesday.
The shutdown has hampered the train schedule and become the cause of severe suffering for thousands of passengers. Most trains were running more than one hour behind their schedule.
Stray incidents marked the hartal in the capital.
At least 50 crude bombs exploded at Link Road of Badda, Mohakhali, Hatirpool, Malibagh rail crossing, Mirpur-11, Kazipara and Mipur-1 during the hartal. Picketers torched a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Rayerbagh area of Jatrabari at about 6:20 am. Police recovered two live bombs from Mirpur-11 of the city at about 6:30 am.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists brought out a procession in support of the hartal in Bijoy Swarani area. Later, they were dispersed by the police.
The Sabujbagh Thana Chhatra Dal unit brought out a procession near Nandipara bride at Khilgaon. They exploded seven crude bombs and set fire to the road at 12 noon.
Unidentified miscreants blasted two crude bombs in front of the Awami League party office at Bangabandhu Avenue at around 1 pm.
Law enforcers recovered 10 live crude bombs near Tin-netar Mazar around 11:45 am.
At least six persons were injured when some hartal supporters hurled a petrol bomb at a bus in Kalshi of Pallabi area in the morning. A garments worker, Sagor, sustained burn injuries and was immediately rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Picketers torched an auto-rickshaw at Kadamtola around 8 am. The driver of that three-wheeler, Yakub Ali (28), suffered burn injuries and was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
A group of Shibir activists exploded four crude bombs and vandalised several vehicles in front of Gate No 1 of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Pilkhana headquarters.
Another group of Shibir activists brought out a brisk procession and exploded crude bombs at Laxmibazar area in Old Dhaka. Four people was arrested in this connection and a live crude bomb was recovered from the spot. Later, a mobile court handed down four months of prison sentence to three of the Shibir activists, while one person was released.
Police recovered nearly 300 crude bombs and a huge amount of bombmaking materials from a C.I. sheet house, adjacent to ‘Iraqi Math’ of Lalbagh area in the city. However, no one was detained in this connection.
Two crude bombs exploded at zero point near the Secretariat around 1pm, creating panic in the area.
Shibir activists vandalised three CNG-run auto rickshaws and torched another one in the morning at Rayerbagh.
A group of picketers blasted three crude bombs near Petrobangla at Karwanbazar area in the morning. However, no one was injured in the incident.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken all-out measures to ensure security 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 during hartal hours as only a few motorised vehicles were available for city commuters.
Hundreds of lawyers on the Dhaka district judge court premises brought out processions in support of as well as against the hartal.
The ruling Awami League and its front organisations brought out anti-hartal processions in different parts of the capital, urging people to boycott the hartal.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from different districts of the country.
In Sirajganj, police and Jamaat-Shibir activists clashed when the hartal supporters tried to block the Sirajganj-Kazipur regional road. The police detained one activist with petrol bombs in his possession. Earlier, on Sunday night, law enforcers had detained six people from different parts of the district.
In Laxmipur, picketers blasted at least 15 crude bombs in front of Adarsha Samad High School, Officer’s Club and South Temuhni area of the district town in the morning. BNP and Jamaat activists brought out processions and blockaded roads in different areas of the town. In Chittagong, hartal supporters hurled a crude bomb at the vehicle carrying additional police super (north) Shahidullah at Shekharpara in Sitakundu upazilal. Sitakundu Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) SM Badiuzzaman said some picketers torched four trucks around 12:30 pm. Two people sustained bullet injuries as the police opened fire on the picketers to disperse them.
In Gazipur, picketers vandalised four to five vehicles in Majukhan area of the city and tried to torch two vehicles at about 7 am.
Law enforcers arrested 11 BNP and Jamaat activists from different parts of the city, on suspicion of their involvement in the vandalism on Sunday night.
In Natore, two people were injured as a truck overturned and fell into a roadside ditch after being chased by pro-hartal picketers near Ahmedpur Bazar of Boraigram upazila. The pro-hartal activists also blocked the Dhaka-Natore highway in the morning.
In Bogra, at least 15 crude bombs exploded at Colony Bazaar of the Matidali-Bonani road in the town, Mohakhali and Chelopara Shapla areas, Borogola bank para and Charmatha central bus terminal areas during the hartal.
Some Jamaat-Shibir activists hurled brickbats and blasted 10 crude bombs. In retaliation, police fired 56 rubber bullets and five rounds of tear shell canisters to disperse them. Jamaat claimed that police detained five of their activists.
Rail communications was suspended for four hours on early Monday at around 12.30 am from 4.30 am, when a group of unidentified pro-hartal activists cut 10 ft of railway tracks at Shahordighi suburb of the town.
In Sylhet, the BNP brought out a procession in support of the hartal in the city around 8 am.
In Rajshahi, at least six people were injured in a clash between the police and hartal supporters at Sonadighi and Shalbagan intersection at about 12 noon. The police detained five hartal supporters from different areas after the clash.
Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported at Jhinaidaha, Rangpur, Moulvibazar, Nilphamari, Chuadanga, Rajbari and Munshiganj districts. The police detained 15 persons from these areas.
-With The Independent input
