The sixth consecutive day of indefinite blockade imposed by the BNP-led 20-party alliance was relatively calm throughout the country yesterday, with a few sporadic incidents of vandalism and arson.
In Dhaka, miscreants set a passenger bus on fire around 4pm at Sheorapara in Mirpur. Md Farhaduzzaman of the fire service said no injuries or casualties were reported.
A school boy was injured when a crude bomb went off on Saturday around 9:45pm at the Chairmanbari Square in Kamrangirchar. The injured, Abdul Khalek, 15, was rescued by his father Billal Hossain and sent to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
In Jessore, arson victim Murad, who sustained burn injuries on Wednesday, died yesterday.
He was severely burned when miscreants set fire to a parked bus he was asleep in around 3:30am at Jessore Khajura bus stand. Murad was first taken to the 250-bed Jessore General Hospital, but later was transferred to the DMCH.
Our Comilla correspondent reported that police filed three cases against 220 leaders of BNP-Jamaat for vandalism and arson attack on loaded trucks and attack on police in Chauddagram upazila.
Sub-Inspectors Nuruzzaman and Ibrahim and Assistant Sub-Inspector Delwar Hossain of Chauddagram police station filed the cases.
In Chittagong, vandalism, arson attack and crude bomb blasts in the city marked the sixth day of the blockade.
Pickets vandalised two auto-rickshaws and a pick-up van and blasted several crude bombs in city’s New Market area, while a three-wheeler was torched in Chandgaon area in the evening, said police and fire service sources.
AKM Mohiuddin Selim, OC at Kotwali police station said unidentified miscreants in a sudden attack vandalised the vehicles and set off several crude bombs around 6:30pm at Riaz Uddin Bazar in New Market, before fleeing the scene.
Panic griped the locals following the attack, but no one was injured in this attack, the OC said.
Earlier, miscreants set a parked three-wheeler human haulier of fire near Chandgaon residential area around 4:30pm.
Assistant Director Md Iyahia of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Agrabad said fire fighters rushed to spot after receiving information and doused the fire in half an hour.
Inter-district buses and trucks carrying goods were escorted by police on the highways, police sources said.
Our Habiganj correspondent reported that local BNP activists got engaged in a clash with police as the BNP activists tried to bring out a procession.
Police shot rubber bullets at them to disperse the procession, which injured at least 10 people including five BNP leaders. The BNP activists vandalised two vehicles during the conflict.
Police arrested one person named Jewel Miah, 10, in this regard, said Assistant Police Superintendent Sazzad Ibne Rayhan.
At least three activists of Jatiayatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) unit were injured as police reportedly shot rubber bullets to foil a train track blockade near the campus by Chhatra Dal activists yesterday morning.
Chanting slogans against the government and in support of the ongoing countrywide blockade, some 25-30 Chhatra Dal activists tried to put up a barricade on the Mymensingh-Dhaka train track at Kewatkhali area near one of the university’s entrances around 7:30am, witnesses said.
On information, patrol police rushed to the spot and chased the Chhatra Dal activists away. They also shot several rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, which injured the three activists including Chhatra Dal’s BAU unit General Secretary Jasim Uddin Jony.
Fazlul Karim, OC at Kotwali police station, confirmed that police had foiled Chhatra League’s plan to block the train communication, but he did not comment on the firing of rubber bullets.
