The general strike called by the opposition to protest against the latest hike in fuel oil prices ended without any major incident on Sunday.Tight security, necessiated by incidents of explosions and vandalism yesterday evening, was put in place to avoid any untoward incident.
The government on Thursday increased prices of octane, diesel, petrol and kerosene for the fifth time in four years, despite a threat by the opposition alliance to enforce a strike within a day of the hike.
Incidentally, the shutdown has come on a day when the ruling Awami League-led coalition completes four years in office.
Amidst tight security, opposition supporters reportedly torched two buses in Mirpur, a private car in Shankharibazar and a microbus in the Babubazar areas. The opposition activists also reportedly challenged the law enforcers at Tejgaon, Panthapath and Badda areas. Pro-government Juba League and Chhatra League activists clashed with pro-BNP lawyers injuring at least eight persons in Old Dhaka.
Reports of sporadic processions in support of the strike also came in from various areas in the capital. Several handmade crude bombs were detonated in the Dhaka University campus and near the BNP headquarters in Naya Paltan.
The law enforcers have reportedly detained 26 people from the city’s Old Dhaka, Farmgate, Banani and Mirpur areas throughout the day.
On Saturday, a day before the general strike, at least six vehicles were torched in the capital Dhaka and five crude bombs exploded in the Dhaka University campus. Police have filed 11 cases on Saturday night over the arson and explosions.
A large number of rickshaws and auto-rickshaws were seen on the usually busy streets but buses were less in number. Train services were not affected but no long-distance buses reportedly left the capital. The number of vehicles on the roads increased with the passage of time.
Work at various government and private offices continued although most of the educational institutions were shut. The Secretariat was put under tight security.
Flash Processions
A control room official of thr Fire Services, Forhad Hossain told bdnews24.com that a bus was torched at around 6:30am in front of the Proshika Bhaban in Mirpur. Firemen rushed to the spot to douse the flames.
Several crude bombs were reportedly detonated in front of the Commerce College in Mirpur this morning.
Around the same time, pro-strike supporters tried to torch a bus in the Mirpur-10 intersection but the attempt was foiled after the police reached the spot. One person was detained from the place of the incident, Sub Inspector (Investigation) of Mirpur Model Police Station Moidul Hossain said.
A private car in Shankharibazar was set on fire at around 10am when a pro-strike was making its way through the area. Minutes later the procession was dispersed by the police.
The law enforcers have nabbed two persons from the spot following the arson attack, Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Police Station Abu Bakar Siddiqui said.
Police and pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were engaged in clashes in front of the Tejgaon College. “Police detained two persons from the area following the explosion of several crude bombs,” Sub Inspector of Tejgaon Industrial Zone Police Mohammad Ramjan Ali said.
At around 12:30pm, a microbus was torched in Babubazar’s Dumba Mosque area during a sudden procession of the pro-shutdown supporters, he added. The police officer said several crude bombs were detonated and a covered van was smashed.
Minutes later, the shutdown supporters ran away as police arrived on the spot, Siddiqui said adding that the law enforcers had detained four persons from the area.
Pitched battles took place between the police and the strike supporters at the Panthapath area at around 7:30am. Police dispersed opposition processions in the Gulshan’s Link Road area, Badda Police Station OC Mahabubur Rahman said.
Police have detained two persons from the Banani Kanchabazar area at around 9:30am. “They were trying to create problems,” the Sub Inspector of the Banani Police Station, Aminul Bashar told bdnews24.com.
Pro-shutdown activists also marched through the Kadamtala area in Basabo and held a brief rally there. They tried to set fire to sacks to block the road. No police official was reportedly present there.
At least three crude bombs exploded in the Dhaka University campus in the morning. Students caught an outsider and handed him over to the police.
A group of people believed to be shutdown supporters have reportedly smashed an auto-rickshaw at around 10:15am in front of the Bepza Complex in the Dhanmondi area
The driver, Ismail Hossain, told bdnews24.com, “A group of up to 12 youths suddenly came and smashed my vehicle. Moments later they fled the scene.”
At least eight people were injured in an attack by the purported pro-government Juba League and Chhatra League spporters on a procession of the pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum outside the judge’s court in the Old Dhaka area. Two of them have been admitted at the hospital.
Locals said activists Chhatra League and Juba League units of the of the Kabi Nazrul College intercepted the procession at around noon resulting in a fracas. Both sides hurled brickbats at each other.
Police fired up to 12 rounds of teargas shells to bring the situation under control, witnesses said.
The law enforcers detained 12 persons from the area on charges of creating problem, Sub Inspector of Kotwali Police Station Mahmudul Haq said.
Crude bombs detonation
Four crude bombs were detonated in the Dhaka University campus. Of them, three exploded in the morning as the shutdown kicked off and another in the afternoon. University students grabbed a youth, identified as Julhas Uddin, 24, from outside the campus and handed him over to the Shahbagh police for his alleged involvement in the explosions.
Two more ‘crude bombs’ wrapped in a bag were recovered from the university’s Teachers and Students Centre at around noon.
Although no processions were seen in front of the BNP headquarters, four people were detained after an equal number of handmade crude bombs were reportedly detonated on the street opposite it at around noon.
Apart from them, locals said up to five crude bombs went off in front of the Commerce College in Mirpur this morning.
Ruling party active during shutdown
The ruling Awami League and its various frontal organisations were seen taking out processions in the streets of the capital.
The processions led by the activists and supporters of the ruling party were mostly seen around the Awami League headquarters at the Bangabandhu Avenue
Pro-Awami League Bangladesh Chhatra League activists were also seen in these processions.
At around 11am, activists of the Bangladesh Left Front took out a procession around Baitul Mukarram, the national mosque. Activists of the Juba League were also seen bringing out an anti-strike procession in the Magbazar area at around noon.
Several top leaders of the Awami League were seen at the party headquarters. Like on previous occasions, they were seen sitting outside the party office.
BNP headquarters under ‘siege’
Like previous occasions, a large police posse took position outside the BNP central office in Naya Paltan where the pro-shutdown supporters were not seen to be active.
“This shutdown is for the sake of the people,” BNP’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told journalists.
He claimed that people all over the country had come forward to support the general strike.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia held an emergency meeting with the policy makers of her party on Thursday night after the government hiked fuel oil prices. The following day, the party announced the countrywide strike on behalf of the 18-Party Alliance.
The government had raised the prices of petrol and octane by Tk 5, diesel and kerosene by Tk 7. The rates were put in effect from Thursday midnight. The government said it was hiking the prices to cut down the amount of subsidy.
The government of Sheikh Hasina had been under pressure from the International Monetary Fund for increasing the prices of power and fuel, two of the most heavily subsided sectors.
After the hike, diesel and kerosene are being sold at Tk 68 per litre, octane at Tk 99 and petrol at Tk 96. The government claimed it will have to provide a subsidy of Tk 11.77 a litre for diesel and Tk 12.15 for kerosene despite Thursday’s hike.
Economists and businessmen have predicted that increased petroleum prices will push the costs of agricultural and industrial production.
(Source: bdnews24.com)
