At least 15 people, including policemen, were injured and vehicles vandalised in Dhaka and other parts of the country during the nationwide hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday.
Jamaat had called the shutdown in protest against the punishment meted out to three of its three leaders for contempt of court by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2). However, the cities of Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal were kept out of the hartal’s purview due to the municipal corporation elections slated for June 15. Jamaat-Shibir activists blasted at least six crude bombs in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Rayerbagh and Ajimpur areas in the morning. Two homemade bombs exploded near the National Museum at Shahbagh shortly after a procession of Ganajagaran Mancha passed through the area around 1pm. Shahbagh Police Station OC Sirajul Islam said, “No one was injured in the blasts. We are trying to find out the perpetrators.” A witness said two youths riding a motor bike came in from the direction of TSC, hurled the bombs and sped away. Hartal supporters brought out processions in several areas of the city, including Bakshibazar, Ajimpur and Jatrabari, but law enforces dispersed them. Police detained five people from Old Dhaka city’s Imamganj area around 6.45am, when Shibir activists were preparing to bring out a procession. Picketers blocked roads by placing logs near Jurain petrol pump at Shyampur around 5.30 am. Later, police dispersed them. A clash erupted between Chhatra Shibir activists and law enforcers at Rayerbagh during the early hours of the hartal. Police fired at the picketers after the latter hurled crude bombs at them.
The ruling Awami League and its front organisations brought out several processions in Dhaka in protest against the shutdown. Awami leaders and activists from Ramna Thana brought out a stick procession at Mogbazar Chowrasta and made its way to Malibag. Similarly, hundreds of Ganajagaran Mancha activists brought out an anti-hartal procession around 11.30 am, demanding a ban on Jamaat-Shibir politics in the country.
Vehicular movement in different parts of the capital was comparatively more than in other hartal days. Train services were also normal. However, long-route buses were grounded at different city terminals.
-With The Independent input
