The daylong countrywide shutdown, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, passed off amid stray incidents of clash, vandalism and crude bomb blast across the country on Wednesday.The opposition alliance called the 12-hour hartal to push for their various demands, including withdrawal of all the ‘false’ cases filed against BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and restoration of the caretaker government.
At least 16 crude bombs were exploded and several vehicles vandalised at different places in the capital city, while over 50 vehicles damaged in other parts of the country.
In the capital, leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies, mainly Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), locked in clashes with law enforcers in different areas of city during the hartal hours.
Meanwhile, unidentified miscreants threw two cocktails in front of the ACC’s media centre at about 9:45 am and fled the scene riding a motorcycle.
DMP sources said pro-hartal activists vandalised eight vehicles in the city while they arrested 13 pickets during the shutdown hours on different charges.
Activists of BNP, JCD, Jamaat and Shibir also brought out processions in support of the dawn-to-dusk shutdown in many areas of the city, including, Badda, Segunbagicha, Jatrabari, Jurain, Laxmibazar, Bijoynagar, Green Road, Mirpur, Tejgaon, Kuril, Siddheshwari, Shadatpur, Dhalpur, Adabor, Ajimpur, Mirhajirbagh, Panthapath and Manik Miah Avenue. Police dispersed them in most cases by charging batons, firing blank shots and lobbing teargas shells.
Pro-BNP lawyers also brought out a procession supporting the hartal on Dhaka Judge Court premises.
Addressing a post-hartal press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, BNP chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu claimed the daylong hartal was observed across the country with people’s spontaneous participation despite obstruction and repression by the law enforcers.
He further claimed that police arrested over 156 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours, while more than 193 injured in attacks by law enforcers and ‘ruling party cadres’. “Besides, some 201 cases were filed against BNP men, and one hartal activist was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment by a mobile court.”
Educational institutions and most shopping malls remained closed, but government and non-government offices in the capital were open with thin attendance.
City commuters largely used rickshaws and auto-rickshaws like other hartal days as the presence of motorised vehicles on the streets was much lesser than usual days. No long-route bus left Mohakhali and Gabtoli terminals fearing vandalism.
Huge law enforcers guarded the city streets to avoid any untoward incident.
A large number of law enforcers were deployed in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
Shamsuzzaman Dudu and a few mid-ranking leaders stayed in the office since morning.
Pro-hartal activists torched and vandalised at least 50 vehicles and brought out processions and blasted crude bombs at different parts of the country during the shutdown.
Vandalising of vehicles and arrests were reported from Bogra, Pirojpur, Gazipur, Chandpur, Narayanganj and Satkhira districts during the hartal.
About 15 vehicles were vandalised in Bogra, five in Pirojpur and 30 in Chandpur districts while three Shibir workers arrested from Satkhira.
Hartal supporters also blocked roads in those districts. (Source: UNB)
