The 36-hour blockade enforced by the BNP protesting the January 7 general election schedule ended at 6pm on Wednesday with multiple arson incidents and processions reported in the capital and Sylhet while separate attacks on police in Chittagong and Bogra.
However, no casualties occurred in the arson attacks and nobody was arrested in connection with those.
A bus was set on fire at Shahbagh in the capital around 2:30pm.
Earlier in the day, two buses were set ablaze in the city – one in Dhanmondi 9am and the other in Old Dhaka at around 12 noon.
Passengers were on board the bus in Old Dhaka.
Bus driver Russell Mia said that the bus was en route to Sadarghat with passengers from Savar. Upon reaching Kabi Nazrul College, the bus came to a stop to let passengers disembark. Suddenly, passengers raised an alarm about a fire, prompting a swift evacuation. Nearby individuals took immediate action to extinguish the fire by using water.
In Sylhet, a covered van was set on fire on the Sylhet-Zakiganj road in the Maizbhag area of Golapganj upazila early hours on Wednesday.
Quoting its driver, Md Alamgir, the police said six masked people on motorbikes intercepted the covered van at around 12:15am when it was heading towards Lalabazar from Shahgoli in Zakiganj upazila.
They ejected the driver and his assistant from the van and set it on fire.
According to the fire service, at least four arson attacks were recorded in 24 hours till 6am on Wednesday.
More than 280 vehicles and 15 establishments have been set on fire during the blockades and hartals since late October.
Attack on police
Five policemen including the office-in-charge (OC) of Anwara police station were injured in an attack allegedly by Juba Dal men in Chittagong’s Anwara upazila.
OC Sohel Ahmed was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital after the police were attacked around 1pm in the upazila’s Chatori Chowmuhani area.
OC (investigation) Md Mohiuddin said a procession was brought out supporting the blockade.
“As several vehicles were attacked and traffic was being obstructed during the procession, we moved forward to ease the situation,” he said.
“But those joining the procession started throwing brick chips at us. In retaliation, we opened eight rounds of shots to disperse them,” the police officer said.
One person was arrested over the attack.
In Bogra, three policemen were injured after BNP men hurled cocktails targeting them in Gabtali upazila.
Sporadic picketing
The BNP and its affiliate organizations brought out sporadic processions in the capital in support of the blockade.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi led a procession and addressed a brief rally in Motijheel. A procession led by BNP leader Ishraque Hossain was brought out in Kamalapur, where several vehicles were vandalized.
The 12-party anti-government alliance supporting the blockade held a rally in Purana Paltan.
The Jagannath University unit of the Chhatra Dal led a protest march in the morning, before setting fire to an effigy of Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.
A similar march by Chhatra Dal was seen at Panthapath.
