At least two persons were killed yesterday on the second day of 72-hour road-rail-waterways blockade called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
Masud Ahmed, Bangladesh Chhatra League vice-president of Chhatak Technical School and College unit, was killed as clash took place between BCL and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists in Chhatak upazila of Sunamganj last night.
Masud was declared dead around 8pm after he was whisked off to Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet yesterday evening, police said.
A doctor of the emergency unit of the hospital Khairul Bashar said Masud’s head was smashed by a brick. However, local BCL leaders claimed that Masud died as JCD men opened fire on him.
The clash started after a group of JCD activists intercepted a BCL man near Chhatak upazila town this afternoon, said Officer-in-charge of Chhatak Police Station Shahjalal Munshi.
He said, the law enforcers fired 199 rounds of rubber bullets and 65 teargas canisters to disperse the activists.
Another victim was Rehana Pervin, 24, who died at Enam Medical College in Savar Sunday evening.
She was injured when she was scrambling out of a running bus that came under petrol bomb attack by miscreants on December 2. She was undergoing treatment at the hospital where she died yesterday
Meanwhile, vandalism, crude bombs blasts and arson attacks marked the second day of the nationwide 72-hour road-rail-waterways blockade called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance yesterday.
Stray incidents of violence were reported from Jhenaidah, Sumanganj, Natore, Narail, Khulna, Chittagong, Bogra, Savar, Narayanganj and some other places in the country.
The capital also saw incidents of violence where a 12-hour shutdown was enforced by city unit BNP protesting the arrest of its Convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The countrywide blockade will continue until 6:00am Tuesday if it is not extended further as done during the previous two spells.
Yesterday some district units of BNP and its wings observed hartal while for Monday hartal has been called in Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Feni, Munshiganj, Barisal, Barguna, Natore, Norail, Jhenaidah yesterday.
In the capital opposition activists blasted crude bombs and brought out processions in different parts of the capital, including Uttar Badda, Naya Bazar and Basabo areas and torched a bus at Jatrabari.
No inter-district bus left Dhaka but launch and train communications were almost normal.
Outside Dhaka BNP men locked in clashes with police in Jhenaidah leaving seven people injured including three cops.
Police said BNP men brought out a procession at Arappur Bus Stand around 11:00am and blocked Jhenaidah-Kustia road. As police tried to disperse them they hurled brick chips at police and blasted three cocktails.
Later a chase and counter-chase took place while police had to fire bullets from shotgun and teargas shells to disperse them.
At least 50 people were injured in a half-hour long clash between AL and BNP activists at Chhatak in Sunamganj. Police later took the situation under control.
Meanwhile, in Chittagong blockaders vandalised 10 vehicles and blasted crude bombs and attempted to block roads at different areas.
An official of a private bank, Sabuj Chowdhury received splinter injuries in his back as blockade supporters hurled crude bombs at Kotwali around 9:00am when he was going to his workplace from his residence at Dewanhat. JCD enforced hartal in the district.
At Mirsarai upazila of Chittagong pickets attacked two bridal party buses injuring seven people by pelting brick chips at Khajuria village. Later police escorted the bus to destination.
A battery-run three-wheeler’s driver was injured as activists of Shibir vandalised three vehicles in Khulna city in the morning. They also blasted five crude bombs.
In Bogra, pickets vandalised a motorcycle and burnt tyres on the Bogra-Dhaka highway during a
daylong hartal enforced by the opposition protesting “the conspiracy” against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and other opposition leaders.
In Meherpur police foiled an attempt of arson attack on Gangni Upazila Election office in the morning but could not spare the office from vandalizing. The blockaders also vandalized a Jubo League leader’s office and several shops.
In Barisal, on Saturday night pickets set fire to a bus and a tempo at Kalizira area. The pickets in Chandpur vandalized at least 10 CNG-run auto rickshaws. Police picked up six pickets.
On the other hand, AL cadres ransacked upazila BNP office and police detained upazila BNP president and activists in Mehendiganj upazila in the afternoon. Police charging baton disbursed the procession and arrested upazila BNP president Labu and JCD activist Mamun from the spot and injured 4 activists.
Meanwhile, in Narayanganj pickets torched a bus and a truck and vandalized a number of vehicles after pouring petrol at Chandmari of Fatullah and at Bhulta of Rupganj.
The pickets locked into clashes as police barred them. At Bhulta they also vandalized 3-4 vehicles on Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
In Noakhali, at least 10 people were injured in a clash between police and blockaders in Sonaimuri area when the police tried to disperse the blockaders around 10 am. In Savar pickets torched a taxi cab in the morning.
Meanwhile police nabbed two Shibir men redhanded in Gazipur while blasting crude bombs. Police also arrested three Shibir men with several crude bombs in Munshiganj. Four BNP activists including a union level leader were arrested in Munshiganj for torching the launches and two buses at Mawoa on Saturday.
In the capital, blockaders set fire to a passenger bus and exploded three to four homemade bombs at Matuail. At Pallabi a mobile court awarded a JCD activist Md Farid Hossain six-month jail after he was nabbed from a procession from which a number of cocktails were blasted around 7:45am.
Police arrested two persons from Gulshan post office area with a powerful bomb last night.
Incidents of cocktail blasts were also reported from Tanti Bazar intersection and Bongshal intersection in the old town.
