Four vehicles, including two of private television channel Desh TV, were torched and three other vehicles vandalised in Dhaka city on Saturday evening ahead of 20-Party Alliance’s 72-hour hartal that begins Sunday.
Witnesses said some youths brought out a sudden procession from different lanes around Mouchak Market at about 6:40pm, exploded some 15 crude bombs in front of the Desh TV office and set fire to four vehicles, including two of the private television channel. Although people from nearby doused the fire, a vehicle was badly damaged.
Somilar torching and vandalising of vehicles was reported also from the river port city of Narayanganj, and the city of Gazipur in the afternoon.The Bnp and its allies in te 20-Party Alliance are reported to be making their movement more effective by increasing presence of their activists on streets. Thus programmes of mass procession have been called in the districts and upazilas.
In a statement on Saturday, Salauddin, on behalf of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, urged the country’s people and leaders and activists of the 20-party to observe their scheduled programmes peacefully.
The alliance leaders and activists will take out the mass processions in all district towns, upazila, thana and pourasava headquarters and at all wards of divisional cities across the country.
The hartal Salahuddin Ahmed said was to protest the killing and maiming of leaders and workers of the alliance, arrest of many others, filing of fabricated cases; and press the demand for release of arrested leaders and workers. The Bnp led alliance started its transport blockade programme on 6 January last after the authorities refused to allow the holding of a rally marking their ‘democracy killing day’ on the day before and also to press their demand for inclusive election under a non-party government.- News Desk
