The second day of the 60-hour shutdown, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, was marked by stray incidents of bomb explosions, arson attacks, vandalism of vehicles and clashes across the country on Tuesday. The 18-party alliance enforced the shutdown on Monday to push for its demand for arranging the next general election under a non-party administration. The 60-hour strike will end at 6pm on Wednesday. According to reports reaching the UNB news desk, at least 30 vehicles were damaged, over 150 crude bombs blasted and around 250 people, including six cops, were injured across the country. The law enforcers also arrested over 70 people during the second day of hartal till 8pm. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office about the second-day hartal, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that an opposition activist was killed at Shitakunda in Chittagong by the law enforcers during the second day of the hartal. Besides, he said, police arrested over 600 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours, while more than 2,100 were injured in attacks by law enforcers and ‘ruling party cadres’. The BNP leader further claimed that over 9,000 opposition men were implicated in fresh ‘false’ cases and 13 activists sentenced to different terms of imprisonment by mobile courts. In the capital, pro-hartal activists brought out processions in support of the shutdown at different points of the city and locked into clashes with the law enforcers. Chases and counter-chases between police and hartal supporters were reported at different parts of the city, including Wasa Bhaban, Karwan Bazar, Lalbagh, Rampura, Moghbazar and Shahjadpur. Besides, the hartal pickets blasted over 50 crude bombs at different parts of the capital during the second day hartal that began at 6am on Monday. Meanwhile, Home Ministry sources said at least seven vehicles were damaged while 32 crude bombs were blasted during the second day of 60-hour hartal across the country. Besides, a police constable was injured in a clash with the hartal supporters in Munshiganj. Educational institutions and most shopping malls remained closed, but government and non-government offices in the capital were open with thin attendance. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets during hartal hours as there was a little number of motorised vehicles available for the city commuters. No long-route bus left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtoli terminals since morning 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. Violent incidents like vandalising and torching of vehicles, clashes between hartal pickets and police and ruling party activists, arrest of opposition leaders and activists and crude bomb blasts were also reported from a number of districts, including from Laxmipur, Rajshahi, Bogra, Satkhira, Chittagong, Comilla, Narayanganj, Sunamganj, Sirajganj, Munshiganj and Khulna. The first day of the hartal was also marked by incidents of violent clashes, vandalism and crude bomb blasts across the country, leaving two people killed. All types of media and fire brigade vehicles, ambulances and vehicles carrying hajj pilgrims are out of the purview of the hartal. Earlier, the opposition alliance enforced another 60-hour countrywide shutdown from 6am on October 27 that ended amid widespread violent clashes, vandalism, arson attacks and crude bomb blasts, leaving 18 people dead and over 7,000 people injured across the country. – UNB
