The fresh spell of nationwide 72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance was marked by stray incidents of vandalism including arson attack on steamers and buses, clash between pickets and police yesterday.
In Jessore, blockaders attacked a convoy of the Border Guard of Bangladesh, in response the troops fired 50 rounds of bullets.
A bus helper suffered severe burn injuries after pickets set fire to the vehicle, which he was sleeping in at Louhajang upazila in Munshiganj. The pro-blockade activists also set fire to three launches, and a bus while they vandalised a water vessel in the district, a couple of hours before the blockade began at 6am.
The opposition activists blasted crude bombs, vandalised vehicles, brought out processions and clashed with law enforcement force at different parts of the capital, including Rampura, Bhasantek, Khilgaon, Tejgaon and Jatrabari areas in the morning. Several people were arrested from different areas.
In the capital’s Dholaipar, blockaders burned a stationed bus around 4:30am in the morning.
Meanwhile, a minor boy and his father suffered bullet wounds as police opened fire on a Jamaat-Shibir procession at the city’s Malibagh Chowdhury Para area around 11am.
The injured were, NGO employee Majedur Rahman, 45, a resident of East Nayatola in the city and his son Mahir Ahmed, 6.
Besides, blockaders blasted crude bombs and set fire to a vehicle in Gabtoli. Later, Gabtoli police arrested a man along with a handmade bombs.
Police in Old Dhaka and Rampura, rounded up seven people including six Jamaat-Shibir activists.
At Islampur, a clash between Shibir activists and police took place around 8:45am. Jamaat-Shibir members brought out a procession in the morning, and tried to restore to vandalism in Rampura as well. After being resisted by police, they hurled several crude bombs at the law enforcers.
The blockade in capital was apparently slack compared to previous ones with vehicles on road, and launches running the waterways, but no inter-district bus left the terminals.
The opposition alliance has already enforced 202 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in two spells 71-hour and 131-hours. The back-to-back programmes were being enforced since the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections on November 25.
Several incidents of clashes, arson and vandalism were also reported in Jessore, Munshiganj, Chittagong, Gazipur, Jamalpur and Satkhira.
After being attacked by blockaders, the BGB fired around 50 rounds of gun shots to disperse them at Rupdia under Kotwali police station in Jessore around 3pm on Saturday. At least seven blockaders were hurt in the attack, claimed Jamaat.
Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman, commanding officer, 26 BGB Battalion told the Dhaka Tribune that the escorts of Brigadier General Shamsur Rahman, regional commander of Border Guard Bangladesh fired around 50 rounds in the air as his motorcade came under attack by the blockaders at Rupdia on the Jessore-Khulna Highway around 3pm.
“The BGB official was returning from Khulna after attending a meeting,” he said.
“The blockaders hurled cocktails at the BGB vehicle.”
However, Master Noor-un-Nabi, general secretary, Jessore district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami told the Dhaka Tribune that at least seven of their activists were hurt as the BGB men charged baton on them. He, however, refused the information of attacking BGB.
In Munshiganj, Alamgir, 23, a helper, was sleeping inside a bus of Great Bikrampur Paribahan parked on the Mawa launch terminal parking yard, when pro-blockade activists torched it. He was brought immediately to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital with 20% burn injuries.
Doctors said his throat was critically burnt making him vulnerable.
The pro-blockade activists also set fire to MV Rajib-2, MV Masum and vandalised MV Sajal-1 anchored at Mawa Terminal and torched a bus of Gangchil Paribahan parked at a petrol pump’s parking.
Fire service and locals put out the blaze, said Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge at Louhajang Police Station.
In Gazipur, pro-blockaders torched a sub-inspector’s motorcycle at Joydebpur bus stand from a procession. Police said the procession was parading from Joydebpur bus stop, where several small vehicles were vandalised. As police barred the procession, they torched the motorcycle parked beside and engaged in a clash with cops.
In Chittagong, pro-blockade activists torched at least two vehicles and vandalised 10 others. They also blasted crude bombs and attempted to block roads at different areas in the port city and elsewhere in the district while police dispersed them and took control of the situation. No casualty was reported.
Creating blockade on roads, chases-counter chases between AL and BNP activists, and exchanging bullets marked the blockade in Jamalpur.
AL Activists chased the opposition activists to take position at Chapar Kona Jamtola intersection under Sharishabari upazila in the morning which turned into the chase-counter chase. Later, police came and fired 8-9 rounds of blanks and charged baton, leaving five people injured.
Meanwhile, at Melandaho upazila, BNP activists brought out a procession wearing shrouds. They torched a local Al office.
In the meantime, three youths sustained serious injuries while making bombs at an abandoned house at Laxmipur under Motbee union of Feni Sadar around 5pm. The injured were identified as Ripon, 34, Saiful, 32, and Shwapon.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), meanwhile, has called hartals in Chittagong for Sunday and in Rangpur and Narail for Monday, demanding immediate release of the party president and general secretary.