At least two persons were killed yesterday as the BNP-led 20-party alliance continued its nationwide blockade for the eighth day. The number of deaths during the ongoing blockade now stands at 16.
Several incidents of vandalism, arson, picketing and crude bomb explosion were also reported throughout the country yesterday.
In Noakhali, auto-rickshaw driver Md Jamir Uddin, 32, was killed when pickets attacked his auto-rickshaw near Poura Kalyan High School in Maizdee area.
Jamir’s elder brother Md Jashim Uddin, who was with him, told the Dhaka Tribune that pickets attacked them near Uttar Wapda in Sadar upazila on their way to Eklaspur in Begumganj upazila from Atkopalia Bazar for refuelling on Monday night.
“We decided to repair the windscreen at Maizdee, where pickets attacked us again. They threw bricks at us and one hit my brother in the head,” Jashim said. Jamir later died around 12:30am yesterday at a private clinic.
However, Md Elias Sharif, superintendent of police in Noakhali, claimed that Jamir had died in a road accident.
Noakhali district unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for today in the area protesting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s confinement and arrest of district BNP President Md Shahjahan.
In Chittagong, a shopkeeper was killed and two others injured when a truck overturned on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Mirsarai upazila on Monday night following a petrol bomb attack.
The group was riding the truck to go to Satkania as they could not get a passenger bus, police said. Miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at the truck in Jorarganj area around 10pm, causing the truck to overturn and severely injuring the three.
All three were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where the shopkeeper, Enam Hossain, 35, died, said Sub-Inspector Farid Uddin, in-charge of Jorarganj highway police outpost.
Police arrested a man named Nazrul Islma Shimul in the area on suspicion of involvement in the attack.
Elsewhere, miscreants posing as passengers set two buses on fire in the port city – one at Gate 2 area around 8:30am and the other in Bayezid area around 6:10pm. No casualties were reported.
Babul Chandra Banik, OC at Bayezid police station, said police had arrested three persons in connection with the Bayezid incident.
Sporadic violence in the capital
Situation was comparatively normal in the capital, with usual traffic movement.
Miscreants blasted a number of crude bombs at different points in the city. One group hurled crude bombs near a reunion programme of volunteer organisation Sandhani at Sir Salimullah Medical College. Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, former foreign minister Dipu Moni and local lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim were present at that time.
Two more bombs went off inside the college premises. Police suspect those were thrown from the roof of a nearby building.
The programme, however, continued after a period of panic among the students. No injuries were reported, nor were any arrests made.
“We have searched the area. The attackers have fled,” said Deputy Commissioner Mofiz Uddin Ahmed of Lalbagh division.
Meanwhile, at least five crude bombs were found in Dhaka University yesterday morning.
Students spotted four bombs inside a toilet on the ground floor of the Arts Faculty Building, said Sirajul Islam, OC at Shahbagh police station.
On information, a team of the Detective Branch’s bomb disposal unit recovered the bombs around 11am, the OC said. Later, they recovered another crude bomb near the entrance of Mokarram Bhaban. No arrests were made in this connection.
At Motijheel, miscreants blasted several crude bombs in the evening, spreading panic in the area. Police arrested two persons in this regard.
At least two vehicles were burned down in the capital’s Dhanmondi area: BNP activists from a procession torched a human haulier on Road 15 in the morning; a passenger bus was set on fire in front of Rapa Plaza in the evening.
Violence in other districts
In separate drives, police arrested at least 38 BNP-Jamaat activists yesterday, including Jamaat’s Satkania upazila Nayeb-e-Ameer Marul Haq, for carrying out subversive activities in the district, especially Sitakunda, Satkania and Lohagora upazilas.
In Chandpur, miscreants torched a truck in Shaharasti and an auto-rickshaw in Chandpur town. The truck was carrying thousands of primary and secondary-level textbooks, which were destroyed as pickets hurled a petrol bomb at the truck near Baniachao area around 6am.
In Jhenaidah, miscreants burned down a tractor near Kotchandpur fire service office in Kotchandpur upazila. In Jhalakathi Sadar, a truck was torched.
In Gaibandha, pickets burned down a truck in Polashbari. The driver escaped the attack by jumping off the vehicle, said Polashbari police station OC Mojibur Rahman.
BGB troops deployed in 21 districts
The Ministry of Home Affairs instructed the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday to deploy troops in 21 districts in order to maintain security.
BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed confirmed the news, saying the BGB personnel would be stationed in Lakshmipur, Rajshahi, Chandpur, Nilphamari, Bogra, Noakhali, Meherpur, Khulna, Narayanganj, Kushtia, Natore, Kurigram, Brahmanbaria, Joypurhat, Rajbari, Gazipur, Cox’s Bazar, Chapainawabganj, Chittagong, Pabna and Satkhira.
This will be in addition to the troops that have already been deployed to keep vehicular movement on the streets and highways smooth, to keep the situation in order at different key points in the country, and to keep people as well as important establishments safe.