The 5th day of the road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the
BNP-led 18-party alliance, was marked by incidents of violence at
different parts of the country on Wednesday, leaving six people dead.
On the 5th day of the straight protest programme, the railway was hit
hard as three trains derailed in Gaibandha, Chandpur and Khulna
districts that killed three people. The three unidentified people
were killed and nine others injured as the locomotive and two bogies
of the Shantahar-bound train from Lalmonirhat, ‘Padmarag Express’,
derailed at Ullasonatola village in Saghata upazila of Gaibandha at
about 1:30am due to the removal of fishplates from the rail tracks by
blockaders. Meanwhile, at least 41 people were injured when the
engine and three bogies of ‘Meghna Express’ veered off the tracks in
between Shahtali and Madhu railway stations in Sadar upazila of
Chandpur around 5:30am, also following the removal of fishplates.
Yet in another incident of sabotage targeting the railway, six bogies,
including the engine, of ‘Nakshikantha’ train derailed at Jugmipasha
in Fultala upazila of in Khulna around 1:45am, leaving at least six
passengers injured. Following the accidents, the rail communications
of Chittagong, Khulna and Gaibandha with the rest of the country
remained suspended. In Feni, a local Jubo Dal leader was killed and
over 50 people were injured, six with bullets, in a clash with cops in
the district town in the afternoon. The deceased was identified as
Harunur Rashid Harun, 30, vice-president of Faradnagar union unit of
the BNP’s youth wing in Sadar upazila. In Kishoreganj, a man was
killed as a battery-run easy-bike, being chased by blockaders,
overturned on the Dhaka-Kishoreganj Highway at Chauddasato in Sadar
upazila in the early hours. The deceased was identified as trader
Ujjal Sarkar, 28, of Polerghat village in Pakundia upazila. On the
other hand, a freedom fighter, who was injured in attack by alleged
activists of Jamaat-Shibir men at Bhara-Simla village in Kaliganj
upazila of Satkhira on Tuesday midnight, died at a hospital in the
morning morning. The deceased was identified as Alauddin Khokon, 62,
of Bhara-Simla village. Meanwhile, incidents of stray violence were
also reported from different parts of the country, including the
capital, when 100 people were injured, several vehicles were damaged
and around 90 people were arrested. The first four days of the
blockade were marked by violent incidents of clashes, bomb blasts,
vandalism and arson attacks on buses and railways across the country
that killed 16 people. The opposition combine enforced the blockade
programme at 6:00am on Saturday demanding cancellation of the schedule
for the 10th parliamentary elections billed for January 5 and
protesting the filing of ‘false’ cases against its leaders and
activists. 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 the
opposition leaders and activists. On November 25, the Election
Commission announced the election schedule. – UNB
