The Chittagong district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chittagong for today protesting the deaths of two of its members at Sitakunda and Mirsarai upazilas.
Ahead of hartal Jamaat-Shibir men brought out a brisk procession from the port city’s DC Hill area around 5:30pm and blasted five crude bombs, said police.
They also attempted to stop vehicular movement on the road by setting tyres on fire while police nabbed nine persons after a chase, said Mirza Saiem Mahmud, assistant commissioner of Kotwali Circle of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
Jamaat-Shibir men exploded five more crude bombs in front of BNP city unit party office, Nasiman Bhaban, around 7:25pm. None was arrested in this connection.
Mohammad Ullah, publicity secretary of the city unit of Jamaat, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had called the shutdown protesting the deaths of Jamaat leader Aminul Islam and activist Jashim Uddin.
However, Primary School Certificate and equivalent Ebtedayee Final Examinations candidates will be out of the purview of the hartal, he added.
Earlier, Jashim Uddin, 27, a Jamaat activist of Shayerkhali union in Mirsarai upazila, died early yesterday after being hacked by unknown miscreants.
Nurul Karim, president of Mirsarai upazila unit of Jamaat, held of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists responsible for the attack.
Nurul Mostafa, chairman of Shayerkhali union and also the AL president of the union unit, denied the allegation.
Imtiaz Qader Hasan Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Police Station, said miscreants might have attacked and killed Jashim on Friday night.
Meanwhile, police recovered the bullet-riddled body of Aminul Islam, general sectary of Barab Kunda union unit of Jamaat, from the upazila’s Shekerpara on Wednesday. He had been missing for three days.
