Stray incidents of violence causing death of a bus helper in Gazipur marked the day-long hartal of the Bnp-led 20-Party Alliance on Thursday. A burn victim died at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, a group of daily labourers under the banner of Din Majur Sramjibi Janata League yesterday tried to gherao the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, which remains under siege of law enforcers since January 3.
The day labourers led by Tofayel, president of the organisation tried to go towards Khaleda’s office with a procession from Banani at noon but police stopped them at Gulshan circle number 2.
They staged demonstration there for 10 minutes demanding withdrawal of blockade programme left the venue.
The security measures taken in and around the BNP chairperson’s office remained unchanged also yesterday.
The former premier, Khaleda Zia has been confined by locking up the main gate of her office from outside since January 3.
Additional law enforcers, water cannon and police vans were also deployed in front of party office barricading all of its entry points.
A young bus helper was killed when unidentified elements set fire on his bus parked on the wayside at Kaliakoir in Gazipur, north of Dhaka early Thursday, prior to the beginning of countrywide hartal enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance with their day blockade programme.
The helper identified as Tofazzal Hossain,17, son of Wahed Ali of Napnarayantola village in Sunamganj, was sleeping inside the bus when it was torched by suspected blockade supporters, roasting him alive.
The bus was torched by some unidentified miscreants at around 3.30am and it was burnt fully.
Officer in charge of Kaliakoir police station Rafiqul Islam said, they suspect that Tofazzal tried to get out from the bus after it was set on fire but as the smoke blinded him he couldn’t open the door and died there. The body of the deceased was sent to Gazipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Police arrested 8 pickets and deployed three platoons BGB in Gazipur.
Meawhile Abdul Hakim, a car driver succumbed to his burn injuries yesterday at burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He sustained injuries when unidentified miscreants hurled a petrol bomb on his car at Magbazar crossing on Tuesday.
In Moulavi Bazar, unidentified assailants bit a truck driver and his assistant after stopping their vehicle at Juri in Moulavi Bazar early Thursday. They set fire on the truck and tried to set them on fire. Later, they were rescued by local people and admitted to Juri Health Complex.
The pickets in Sylhet hurled a bomb on the car of Office in-Charge of Kotwali Thana Asaduzzaman from a procession at Kumarpara area. The police officer survived as the bomb exploded outside the vehicle.
The daylong shutdown with blockade programme on its 10th day passed off with stray incidents of violence including clashes of the pickets and law enforcers and rival political activists, vandalism, setting fire to vehicles and explosion of homemade bombs since midnight leaving many people injured.
BNP sources claimed that police detained over 100 opposition leaders and activists from different parts of the country including Elephant Road, Mirpur and Uttara in Dhaka city during the hartal.
The pickets vandalised and set fire to a number of motor vehicles in the city during the hartal ended at 6:00pm.
In Dhaka, the daylong hartal called by BNP-led 20-party alliance had little extra impact on the normal life of the people in the city.
Leaders and activists of 20party alliance tried to bring out procession at different points of the city during the hartal but they could not stage any big demonstration as law enforcers foiled their attempts.
In Rangpur, members of the law enforcing agencies arrested 17 activists of the Jamat-Shibir from Mithapukur during the last 24 hours suspecting them to be attackers who hurled petrol bombs on a night coach on January 14 leaving five people killed.
Noakhali BNP observed the hartal amid vandalism and setting fire on vehicles and staging demonstration. Police arrested 44 leaders and activists during the last 24 hours.
In Feni, unruly elements set fire on a cement laden truck and vandalised seven trucks and covered vans during the hartal. Police arrested seven Jamaat-Shibir activists from different places.
In Natore, the blockaders set fire to a cement laden truck and driver and helper of the vehicle were injured as they beat them.
In Comilla, at least 12 people were injured in a clash between the leaders and activists of ruling Awami League and the BNP. The incident took place at Kandirpar area during yesterday’s hartal. – Staff Reporter
