At least six people were killed over 400 injured as the first day of the 48-hour rail-road-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, passed off amid violent incidents like clashes, arson attacks, bomb blasts and vandalism in different parts of the country on Tuesday. According to reports reaching the UNB desk, one each was killed in Sirajganj and Bogra while two each died in Comilla and Sathkhira districts. A mason reportedly drowned in a pond while escaping police firing in Sirajganj, a rickshaw-puller was shot dead by police while a BGB man killed in a clash with blockaders in Comilla. Besides, Jamaat-Shibir activists beat a Juba League activist to death and hacked a Swechchhasebak League leader to death in Satkhira while a Jubo Dal activist was killed in a clash with police in Borga. At least 150 vehicles were damaged, over 200 crude bombs blasted and over 400 people injured across the country. The law enforcers also arrested over 200 opposition activists during the first day of the blockade as of 6pm. Besides, opposition activists allegedly set fire to the election offices in Feni, Bogra and Chuadanga sadar upazilas. In the capital, several crude bombs were blasted and a number of vehicles damaged reportedly by the blockaders at different parts of the city. Law enforcers arrested nine people from various parts of the city for their involvement in destructive acts. A ward office of the ruling Awami League was set ablaze by pickets at Azampur in the city’s Uttara area around 9:20 am. Besides, three people were injured as unidentified criminals set three vehicles afire and vandalised 10 more in Jatrabari, Matuail and on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway early in the morning. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning. However, no long-route bus left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtoli terminals since morning fearing vandalism. Huge law enforcers were guarding the city streets to avoid any untoward incident. Vandalising and torching of vehicles, clashes between hartal pickets and police and ruling party men and arrest of opposition activist, explosion of crude bombs were also reported from Tangail, Khulna, Naogaon, Bogra, Kushtia, Gazipur, Pirojpur, Laxmipur, Mymensingh, Noakhali, Chittagong, Brahmanbaria, Bhola, Jehnidah, Habiganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Narayanganj, Sunamganj, Nawabganj, Dhaka, Chandpur, Panchagarh, Sherpir, Shariatpur, Barguna, Jamalpur, Jessore, Meherpur and Faridpur districts. Besides, train communications on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes remained suspended for nearly there hours as pickets set ablaze a train at Ishwardi railway station in Pabna around 7:00am. Ishwardi railway station sources said a group of pickets torched Dhaka-bound ‘Sirajganj Express’ train at the station around 7:00am, halting train service on the two rail routes. In Mymensingh, five people were injured as blockaders removed fishplates from the railway tracks in Gouripur upazila of the district around 5:00am, halting rail communications between Mymensingh and Netrakona. Meanwhile, addressing a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office over the first day of the 48-hour blockade, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claimed that three opposition men were killed in firings and attacks by the law enforcers and ruling party cadres during the first 10 hours of the 48-hour blockade as of 4pm on Monday. Besides, he said, police arrested over 400 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours, while more than 1,100 were injured in attacks by law enforcers and ‘ruling party cadres’. Over 4,000 opposition men were implicated in fresh ‘false’ cases, the BNP leader further claimed. Earlier on Monday, 18-party alliance called the blockade programme protesting the announcement of the schedule for the next general election. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the protest programme at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office immediately after the announcement of the polls schedule. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad in his televised address to the nation on Monday evening announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next. – UNB
