At 1:05pm on March 1a statement was issued in the name of President Yahya, which, contrary to all precedent, was read by an announcer on Radio Pakistan. Half an hour after hearing of the postponement of the assembly sine die, crowds, aroused to spontaneous outrage, were converging from all parts of Dacca towards Hotel Purbani, where the AL MNA’s were in session.
Many had armed themselves with bamboos, iron rods, and even hockey sticks. They were joined by the crowd at Dacca stadium who were watching the fag end of a boring cricket match. The moment the news came through, the play was suspended, shops were closed, and people, depending on their class and disposition, had either fled homewards or had armed themselves and headed for the Purbani.
At 2:30pm Mujib, flanked by his grim-faced high command, held a hurried press conference in which he declared that the postponement would not go unchallenged. He called a two day hartal on the 2nd for Dacca, and on the 3rd for the whole of Bangla Desh.
From Purbani the crowd converged on Paltan, where it was addressed by Tofail Ahmed and Mannan of Jatiyo Sramik League. The mood was militant and the crowd demanded action.
On March 2 they got it.
The hartal was of course total. Not even a bicycle could move in any corner of Dacca. On all the main roads barricades had been set up to obstruct movement of security forces. This provoked the first clash.
At Tejgaon, at the entrance of the Second Capital, the most formidable barricades had been set up by Tuesday morning. These were guarded by a highly militant populace. The police from Tejgaon thana were asked to remove the barricades but after taking a look at the menacing crowd went back to the thana, from where they refused to budge in spite of the exhortations of their officers.
After a while a detail of security forces appeared from the airport side. When they attempted to remove the barricades the crowd shouted slogans at them and they took up action stations. At that stage another security force came up in a jeep from the Second Capital.
On being confronted by the crowd, the force suddenly opened fire. Estimates indicate two dead and five injured, but there is no way of confirming the accuracy of this figure. Since then this has been a trouble spot and there was firing again that night when curfew had been imposed at 8pm.
In other areas of the city reports of clashes went on. In Jinnah Avenue goonda elements attempted to cash in on the situation and indulge in some free loot from putatively non-Bengali shops. The Awami League city chief rushed to the spot with volunteers and caught some looters with goods from Razzak, a local shirt shop. They were made to return the goods and soundly beaten.
In Nawabpur similar cases of looting occurred by local goondas and there were some communal clashes which seem to have been confined again to the local goondas.
Tension and militancy mounted throughout the day. The barricades, slogans and sounds of gunfire gave the city the air of a battlefield. In other parts of East Pakistan cities and towns had spontaneously come to a standstill. A strike by PIA employees had effectively cut East Pakistan off from the rest of the world.
The curfew imposed from 8pm therefore promised more clashes. By 9pm there were reports of crowds in the streets in many areas of Dacca. The chatter of gunfire could be heard throughout the night in many areas of the city. Next day’s toll indicated that in Medical College alone there were 35 dead and 113 injured, other casualties went to Mitford Hospital, or were placed in Iqbal Hall at Dacca University.