Dhaka – Four people were killed and over 170 others injured in violent
incidents at different parts of the country on the first day of the
nationwide 72-hour rail-road-waterway blockade sponsored by the
BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance.
The BNP-led combine enforced the blockade programme at 6am on Saturday
demanding cancellation of the schedule of the 10th parliamentary
elections slated for January 5 and protesting the filing of ‘false’
cases against opposition leaders and activists.
The first day of the blockade was also marked by violent incidents
like, torching and vandalising of vehicles and crude bomb blasts in
various places of the country.
In the capital, a man was killed and four people were injured as a
minibus crashed into a rickshaw after a petrol bomb was thrown at it
in the city’s Malibagh area on Saturday evening.
The deceased was identified as Habibur Rahman, 32, a resident of
Basabo in the city.
Shibly Noman, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police
(Ramna), said the driver of the moving bus of ‘Suprabhat Paribahan’
lost his control over the steering and ran into the rickshaw at
Chowdhurypara around 7:30pm after miscreants hurled the bomb at the
minibus. Rickshaw passenger Habibur Rahman died on the spot.
The wrist of one of the injured was blown off in the incident.
In Chittagong, a pedestrian was killed as a pickup, being chased by
blockaders, ran him over at Nayakhal on Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway
in Satkania upazila on Saturday, the first day of the nationwide
72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade enforced by the BNP-led 18-party
alliance.
The deceased was identified as Nimai Nath, 45, who hailed from Patiya
upazila of the district.
In Jhenidah, an activist of Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra
Shibir, Israil Hossain, 18, was shot dead and 10 people were injured
as blockade supporters clashed with policemen in Kotchandpur upazila
headquarters.
In Pabna, a local Jubo Dal activist, Mahbub, 38, a resident of
Mirkamari village in Iswardi upazila, was killed and seven BNP men
were injured as a truck ran into the opposition men while picketing in
Iswardi upazila in the evening.
According to reports reaching the UNB desk, over 150 crude bombs were
blasted while some 100 vehicles either vandalised or torched and over
60 people were arrested by the law enforcers during the first day of
the blockade.
Meanwhile, in a predawn swoop on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office,
plainclothes police picked up its joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir
Rizvi and executive committee member Belal Ahmed.
Several crude bombs were exploded by the blockade supporters and chase
and counter-chases took place between law enforcers and blockaders at
different parts of the capital, including Gabtoli and Green Road.
Police arrested two people from Green Road area after a chase and
counter-chase with Shibir activists.
Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning
as the number of motorised vehicles was visibly low. However, no
long-route bus left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtoli terminals since
morning fearing vandalism.
Vandalism and torching of vehicles, clashes between blockaders and
police and ruling party men and arrest of opposition activist,
explosion of crude bombs were also reported from different districts,
Chittagong, Chandpur, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Molvibazar Sirajganj, Khulna,
Meherpur, Barisal, Natore, Noakhali, Gaibandha and Rangpur.
Besides, rail communications on Dhaka-Chittagong and
Chittagong-Sylhet, Chandpur-Laksham-Sylhet routes remained suspended
for a few hours as blockaders put barricades on rail tracks.
On Friday night, BNP spokesperson Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the
72-hour blockade programme at a press briefing at the BNP’s Nayapaltan
central office.
The blockade is also meant for protesting denial of permission to it
to hold a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday afternoon and the
continued repression and oppression on opposition leaders and
activists.
Earlier, the opposition combine had enforced a 71-hour
road-rail-waterway blockade from 6am Tuesday to 5am Friday protesting
the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls. –
UNB
