Following days of escalating arson attacks and loss of lives, the BNP-led 20-party alliance’s countrywide blockade experienced relatively fewer violent incidents on its eleventh day yesterday.
The capital Dhaka, where vehicles have been torched on a regular basis since the blockade began, finally passed a day without any major report of vandalism or arson coming in as of filing this report at 10pm. Vehicle movement on the city streets stayed normal, as did launch operations out of Sadarghat. However, only a small number of long-distance buses left the capital’s terminals, while many trains also failed to maintain schedule at Kamalapur.
Meanwhile, incidents of sporadic violence by pro-blockade pickets were reported from different districts, while the police have detained over 100 people from separate places across the country since Thursday night.
Our Chandpur correspondent says pickets torched two pickup vans on Chandpur-Comilla Road near Ghosherhat in the morning. One of the torched pickup vans was carrying vegetables from Chandpur to the capital while another was carrying poultry. They also vandalised 10 CNG and battery-run auto rickshaws.
Superintendent of Chandpur police Amir Jafar said the pickets fled before patrol teams reached the spot.
Meanwhile, in Habiganj, activists of Jamaat-Shibir vandalised several vehicles in the early hours of yesterday. Police said pickets tried to torch a bus of Ena Paribahan at Aushkandi Bazar area, prompting the bus passengers to shout out in warning. When the villagers chased them, the attackers fled on motorcycles.
Earlier on Thursday night, miscreants had also vandalised several moving vehicles at Doulotpur under Habiganj’s Bahubal upazila. Some passengers and drivers sustained injuries in the incidents.
Our Munshiganj correspondent reports that at least 15 crude bombs were set off by pro-blockade activists at around 6pm in the Munshiganj sadar, creating panic among the locals.
Arrest of 118 people in districts
As part of “anti-crime” drives across the country, law enforcers have detained around 118 people from different parts of Khulna division, Jhenaidah and Gaibandha districts since Thursday night on several criminal charges.
In Jhenaidah, four Jamaat-Shibir men were held from Harinakunda upazila and a BNP man was held from Jhenaidah sadar upazila for their alleged attempt at subversive activities on the street, Superintendent of Police in Jhenaidah Altaf Hossain said.
In separate drives in Gaibandha, the police arrested 75 leaders and activists of the BNP and Jamaat from different parts of the district early yesterday.
Mofazzal Hossain, superintendent of police in Gaibandha, said during the overnight drives 75 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists were arrested on charge of carrying out sabotage.
The arrestees were involved in blocking roads as well as vandalising and torching vehicles, the SP added.
Gaibandha police sources said they arrested nine BNP-Jamaat activists from Sughatta upazila, three from Phulchhari, four from Palashbari, 13 from Gobindaganj, nine from Sadullapur, 13 from Sundarganj and 18 from sadar upazila of the district.
Meanwhile, Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) last night arrested 38 people including five BNP-Shibir men on different charges.
Additional Commissioner of KMP Moniruzzaman Mithu said the police arrested 33 people in different cases while three BNP and two Shibir activists were arrested from different spots inside the city on charges of subversive activities.
Our Habiganj correspondent reports that six activists of Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in vandalism. Police sources said the men were picked up by a Highway Police patrol team as they were carrying out an arson attack at Auskandi Bazar at Minajpur village.
144 Ansars deployed for Jhenaidah rail tracks
In order to prevent any sabotage to the rail tracks in Jhenaidah, authorities concerned have deployed 144 Ansar members in the district to patrol along the tracks. Around 70 more men who regularly monitor the tracks would also stay extra vigilant while covering 36km of tracks stretching from Mandertala under Kaliganj upazila to Sabdalpur under Kotchandpur upazila.
Bangladesh Railway’s Senior Sub-Assistant Engineer Md Habibur Rahman told our Jhenaidah correspondent that the Ansars and the 70 others would work in two 12-hour shifts to prevent any sabotage.
Claiming that train communication in the area was yet to regain normalcy, Habibur said trains were now running at a speed of around 40km per hour – compared to the usual 80kmph – to avoid any potential sabotage by blockade enforcers.
Mobarakganj Rail Station Master Fazlul Haque said huge crowds were gathering every day at the station, with each train having to wait around 10 minutes at the station because of the heavy rush of passengers.