The third day of the 72-hour countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance, passed off in a relaxed way on Thursday. There was no report of any major incident of violence in any part of the country barring some stray incidents in a few districts on the day. The fourth spell of the protest programme began at 6am Tuesday and it will end at 6am on Friday. Meanwhile, the opposition combine on Thursday called a fresh spell of 83-hour similar programme beginning at 6am Saturday. In the capital, two tailoring shop workers were injured as a crude bomb was blasted at Bangsal in Old Dhaka in the morning. Besides, blockaders exploded three crude bombs in front of Gabtali police camp in the morning. No picketing was seen in support of the blockade elsewhere in the city. Vehicular movement on the city streets was normal. Meanwhile, stray incidents of violence were reported from several districts. In Lalmoniraht, activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance torched the podium of the election rally of a former state minister and over 50 vehicles during a clash with BCL men in Patgram upazila on Thursday evening. In Natore, the blockaders burnt tyres to block the Natore-Dhaka-Bogra Highway in the morning. In Satkhira, at least six people, including a cop, sustained bullet wounds in a clash between Jamaat-Shibir activists and law enforcers in Roispur area of Sadar upazila. In Sylhet, at least 11 activists of the 18-party alliance were injured as police opened fire and charged baton on them in the city’s Kadamtali area. In Pabna, members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a drive on Wednesday night recovered 25 crude bombs from Mirza Market area in Chatmohor upazila headquarters. The opposition combine has already enforced 346 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in three spells — 71-hour, 131-hour and 144-hour ones — after the announcement of the election schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections that left at least 75 people dead. On November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced the election schedule fixing January 5 for the polls. – UNB
