A 60-hour opposition-sponsored general shutdown begins today amid mindless violence unleashed by the 18-party activists on Saturday across the country in a bid to topple the Awami Legaue-led government.
Even the much-awaited phone call from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia on Saturday evening failed to stop the opposition activists from resorting to atrocities.
Pro-hartal cadres of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami exploded crude bombs in front of the houses of Chief Election Commissioner KaziRakibuddin Ahmad, Law Minster Shafqiue Ahmed, an appellate division Justice SK Sinha, Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud and Jubo League Chairman Omar Faruque Chowdhury.
A handmade bomb was also hurled in front of Law Minister’s Comilla house around 11pm,said police superintendent of Comilla.
Violent protesters also vandalised dozens of vehicles in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chittagong and elsewhere in the country to intimidate people ahead of the shutdown.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday telephoned Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia requesting her to recall the strike, but the BNP chief said she could not entertain the request as it was an 18-party programme.
Khaleda announced the hartal from the Suhrawardy Udyan rally on Friday.
In Dhaka, the opposition workers set at least 10 vehicles on fire in Tejgaon, Farmgate, Kalabagan, Begunbari, Adabar, Bangshal, Nayapaltan, Sainik Club and Shyamoli. They also damaged at least 15 other vehicles.
Jamaat-Shibir men clashed with police in Bijoynagar while Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, BNP’s student front, fought a pitched battle with police in Bangshal.
Shibir men hurled handmade bombs in Mohammadpur area in the morning as they brought whirlwind processions defying heightened security measures of police and Rab.
Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandher said he had asked police to discharge their duties properly.
Border Guard Bangladesh was deployed across the country last night to ward off any untoward incidences.
Pro-hartal pickets ransacked several vehicles and exploded crude bombs in Chittagong. CMP stepped up the security measures ahead of the hartal.
Abdullah Al Noman, vice-president of the BNP, and Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, adviser to the BNP chief, spoke at a rally earlier on the day.
In Barisal, opposition activists on Saturday brought out a procession and held a rally. Speakers at the rally urged people to make the shutdown a success. Tension ran high in the city after the 18-party alliance activists vandalised a shop of a local Awami League leader.
In Lalmonirhat, Jamaat-Shibir activists chopped three Awami League activists, vandalised two shops, two houses and a passenger bus owned by the ruling party activists in Bawra area, Patgramupazila in Lalmonirhat on Saturday evening.
With the help of police, AL activists rescued the three assaulted partymen and admitted them to the Patgarm Upazila Health Complex, police said.
Bawra union AL President Rabiul Islam Manik said local Jamaat-Shibir activists were trying to terrorise local people by resorting to widespread violence.
Unidentified miscreants exploded cocktails around 8am on Saturday in front of the house of lawmaker AKM MozammelHoque in Gazipur.
BNP and Jamaat brought out a procession in Gazipur town. The opposition activists set three vehicles ablaze and vandalised at least eight more vehicles. They also hurled crude bombs from the procession.
Pro-hartal activists also set a truck on fire in Narsingdi around 10pm.