At least one person was killed and 13 others injured, including three policemen, in Chittagong on the last day of the 60-hour hartal enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
At least 14 vehicles were also vandalised and 30 crude bombs blasted in the port city and other upazilas of the district, witnesses and police said.
However, police could not arrest anyone in connection with the violence.
Police recovered a youth’s body from a canal at Fultola of Boalkhali upazila around 4:30pm. The unidentified youth was allegedly killed during a chase and counter-chase between Awami League and BNP men.
Jahirul Haque Sabuj, officer-in-charge of Boalkhali police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that the reason for the death was not known.
Police, BNP and AL men locked into a tripartite clash at the upazila’s Fultola and municipality office areas around 12pm, leaving six people injured. The pickets also vandalised three vehicles in the areas.
In Rangunia upazila, one person was injured during a chase and counter-chase between police and pickets. Hartal supporters also vandalised four vehicles.
In Chittagong, pickets blasted at least 30 crude bombs in Halishahar, Boropul, Kazir Dewri, City Gate, Alangker, Saltgola and Bahaddarhat areas, and vandalised seven vehicles.
Activists of the ruling and opposition parties locked in a clash at Colonelhat around 2:30pm, leaving six BNP men injured, OC Abdul Majid of Akbar Shah police station said.
Two groups of BNP locked in a clash in the city’s Bahaddarhat area around 10am, while the police dispersed them after a chase.
Pickets also attempted to terrorise the Boropul area throughout the day through explosions and vandalism, but they failed because of tight vigilance of the police, said Ukey Sing, assistant commissioner of Double Mooring circle of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
Hartal supporters carried out vandalism and exploded bombs in the city’s Kazir Dewri area near BNP’s city party office, said Assistant Commissioner Mirza Saiem Mahmud of Kotwali circle of CMP.
Pro-hartal activists brought out processions from different points of the city and thronged in front of the BNP city office, where a day-long rally was held.
Anti-hartal activists were also seen in different points. Ruling party men brought out a huge motorbike rally, patrolling across the port city.
Security measures had been tightened across the city and in the district by deploying additional police forces, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to avert any untoward situation.
