The dawn-to-dusk hartal enforced by the Chittagong city unit BNP passed off almost peacefully in the port city and 14 upzilas of the district on Wednesday.
A kindergarten student, Sowat, 6, of Bangladesh Elementary School, received splinter injuries to his leg as pickets blasted a crude bomb in Tin Puler Matha area in the port city around 1:05pm, said eyewitnesses. A local resident Belal Uddin said the boy was with his father on a motorbike crossing the area when the bomb went off. The splinters tore his jeans and hit him in the leg, added the local.
Mirza Sayem Mahmud, assistant commissioner of Kotwali circle of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said police were investigating the matter.
Another crude bomb exploded before the city BNP office, Nasiman Bhaban in Kajir Dewri area, around 3pm, said police.
The hartal supporters brought out a procession from Nasiman Bhaban around 8:30am while police foiled it and nabbed nine persons from the spot, said AC Mirza Sayem.
Hartal supporters attempted to block Chittagong-Khagrachhari road with logs in Hathazari upazila’s Charia area around 9am. Police rushed to the scene and chased them away, Liakat Ali, officer-in-charge of Hathazari police station, said, adding that one, Omar Faruk Mirza, was held from the scene.
Some BNP men led by its city unit General Secretary Dr Shahadat Hossain held a rally in the city’s Chawkbazar area at 10am. No local senior leaders of the party except some followers of the general secretary attended the rally. Additional police and Rab were deployed in the port city’s key points to evade any untoward situation.
The presence of vehicles on the city roads was regular like other days while no inter-district buses left the port city during hartal hours.
Trains operated undisrupted while the university shuttle trains and some oil-carrying wagons did not ply across some routes apprehending subversive activities in rail communication, said AA Shamsul Alam, station manager of Chittagong Railway Station. Activities in Chittagong port were normal.
The dawn-to-dusk hartal was called on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the verdict of International Crimes Tribunal 1 that sent SQ Chowdhury to the gallows.
In Bandarban district, the dawn-to-dusk hartal passed off loosely. Although vehicular movement in the city streets was almost normal, no long-route buses left the city. The tourists fell victim to the strike as they could not come out of the city. Businesses remained partly closed.
No picketing was seen in the main thoroughfares of the city. A few BNP leaders were found in front of the party office.
Imtiaj Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Badarban police station, told the Dhaka Tribune security was beefed up to tackle any untoward incidents during hartal.
