At least seven people, including a paramilitary soldier, were killed and
several hundred injured as opposition activists battled with lawmen,
attacked rivals, torched and vandalised vehicles and government offices
and removed rail tracks on Tuesday to enforce a 48-hour
rail-road-waterway blockade across the country.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance enforced the 48-hour
blockade that began at 6:00am on Tuesday in protests against the
announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls by the
Election Commission for holding ‘unilateral’ polls before reaching an
understanding over the election-time administration.
The railway was made a major target of Tuesday’s vandalism as protesters
uprooted tracks, removed fishplates causing derailments and tried to
set fire to carriages forcing railway authorities to suspend the service
of Demu trains. Several intercity trains got stranded at places for
uprooting of tracks.
Pickets torched three carriages of Dhaka-bound ‘Sirajganj Express’ at
Ishwardi railway station around 7:00am, halting train service on
Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes. The Netrakona-bound Haor Express
derailed at Shyamganj as fishplates were removed. Thirty people were
injured as six carriages and the locomotive of Dhaka-bound Agnibina
Express derailed at a place between Rajendrapur and Jaidebpur stations
around 10:30pm as pickets removed fishplates.
Rail tracks were uprooted on Akhaura-Gangabari, Imambari-Gangabari and
Imambari-Kasba routes snapping Dhaka-Chittagong train service. Five
trains got stranded at Akhaura for uprooting of tracks.
Road links between Dhaka and outlying areas remained snapped as no buses
operated on long routes and trucks carrying goods got stranded at
places after opposition activists blocked stretches of major highways
with logs.
A pedestrian Sakman Ali, 40, died from suffocation after inhaling tear
gas used by the police during clashes with BNP-Jamaat supporters at
Jagai’s Crossing in Sirajganj, Juba League leader Mahmudul Hasan Babul,
32, was lynched by Jamaat-Shibir men at Alaipur in Kalaroa in Satkhira,
and rickshaw-puller Babul Miah, 45, was killed in police firing at
Daulatganj Dighir Par in Laksam of Comilla, Juba Dal leader Yusuf Ali
died allegedly in police firing at Banani of Shahjahanpur in Bogra,
Border Guard Bangladesh soldier Ripon Hossain was shot dead by
opposition activists in Comilla, Swechchhasebak League leader Rabiul
Islam was hacked to death by Jamaat-Shibir men at Deara Bazar of Kalaroa
and CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Dulal Miah, 35, died after being
struck by a stone
hurled at him by opposition activists in Feni town on the first day of the blockade.
Election offices also came under attack from opposition activists who set fire to election offices in Feni, Khulna and Bogra.
Border Guard Bangladesh soldier Ripon Hossain, 35, was killed and 10
others, including three policemen, were injured when villagers attacked a
group of law enforcers in South Chartha-Taltoli Chowmohani area in
Comilla around 4:30pm.
Ripon with bullet wounds was pronounced dead after being taken to
Comilla Medical College Hospital. Two bullets pierced his head.
Additional police superintendent Ali Asraf Bhuyain said the villagers
had attacked law enforcers when they went to South Chartha village
around 4:30pm to hand over the body of Delawar Hossain, who died on
Monday, to his family.
Delwar, a human hauler driver, died in hospital after being injured in
clashes with police in Kandirpar area on Monday. Comilla unit
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal genaral sectetary Kawser Ahmed said that Delwar
was an activist of the organisation.
In Sirajganj, Sakman Ali died in a clinic after falling sick inhaling
tear gas during clashes between the police and blockade enforcers at
Jagai’s crossing while passing by on bicycle.
Sirajganj additional superintendent of police Moktar Hossain confirmed
the death. The opposition activists blocked the Jagai’s crossing in the
town and fought pitched battles with the police exploding crude bombs.
They also torched and damaged two trucks in Maalpara area.
Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir lynched Juba
League leader Mahmudul Hasan Babul when he came face to face with a
violent procession of the Islamists at Alaipur in Kalaroa upazila around
11:00am.
Jamaat-Shibir men hacked Swechchhasebak League leader Rabiul Islam at
Deara Bazar of Kalaroa when Awami League activists were damaging shops
at the market in protest at Babul’s killing.
Satkhira witnessed a wave of violence as Jamaat-Shibir men fought
running battles with police forcing the lawmen to fire more than 100
shots to disperse the protesters. At least 100 people were injured in
the clashes.
Jaidev Chowdhury, additional police superintendent in Satkhira, said
police had to fire 107 shots to control the situation. Reinforcements
have been despatched to the troubled bordering area and eight Jamaat men
have been arrested.
Rickshaw-puller Babul Miah was killed and 10 people were injured as
police opened fire on the blockade enforcers who clashed with the police
at Daulatganj Dighir Par in Laksham in the morning.
The fighting broke out when opposition activists tried to block a road
stretch in Daulatganj Dighir Par area. Police opened fire to disperse
the pickets triggering the clashes that left at least 20 people injured,
five of them hit by bullets.
The local unit of BNP claimed the deceased as their leader but Laksham
police officer-in-charge Abul Khayer said that the rickshaw-puller was
shot dead by Jamaat-Shibir activists.
Juba Dal leader Yusuf Ali died allegedly in police firing at Banani of
Shahjahanpur near Bogra town. The opposition activists brought out a
procession on Dhaka-Rangpur highway and clashes broke out after a crude
bomb was thrown at the police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard
Bangladesh personnel deployed on the outskirts of Bogra town in the
afternoon. The joint forces retaliated by firing gunshots leaving Yusuf
dead on the spot, witnesses said.
Violence erupted in the town as the opposition activists attacked
lawmen, set fire to the house of Azizul Huq College principal
Dipendranath Das, attacked houses of judges and vandalised and torched a
large number of vehicles and business establishments. Pickets put
blockade at places from Naimile of Shahjahanpur to Mahasthangarh.
More than 50 people, including two police officers, were injured in the
violence and 12 people were arrested with crude bombs and bottles filled
with petrol.
CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Dulal Mia, 35, died at Feni General
Hospital after being hit by stones thrown by pickets on Shahid
Sahidullah Kaiser Road in Feni town.
Feni police officer-in-charge Md Moazzem Hossain said that Dulal was
fatally wounded after stones struck him in the head around 7:30pm. He
died in hospital around 9:30pm due to profuse bleeding, said Moazzem.
The blockade was observed in Dhaka in the style of a general strike.
CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Sabed Ali was admitted to Dhaka Medical
College Hospital with 15 per cent of his body burnt after pickets set
fire to his three- wheeler in Hatirpul area. Sabed said that he had
dropped a passenger in front of Eastern Plaza around 12:30pm when
miscreants poured petrol on the auto-rickshaw and set it ablaze.
Two drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaw and human hauler suffered appalling
burns in arson attack on their vehicles in Mouchak and Banasri area in
the evening. Physicians at DMCH said human hauler driver Mozammel was
fighting for life in the hospital with 80 per cent of his body burnt.
Mozammel said some pickets had stopped his vehicle in front of the Bata
showroom at Banasri, poured petrol on it and set it ablaze. The
passengers managed to escape but he was trapped inside.
Two more CNG-run auto-rickshaws were torched in Naya Paltan area in the evening.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Enayetur Rahim and Justice
Mohammad Ullah left the courtroom in the face of demonstration from
opposition leaning lawyers during the blockade hours.
A ward office of the ruling Awami League was set on fire by pickets at Azampur in the city’s Uttara around 9:20am.
Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning.
However, no long-route buses left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtali
terminals fearing vandalism.
Large contingents of police backed by RAB and BGB remained on guard on the city streets.
Crude bombs went off across the city particularly at Mouchak, Basabo,
Tikatuli, Gabtali, Abdullahpur and Uttara. The blockade enforcers set
fire to a portion of rail track at Azampur.
Arson and vandalism took place near Asma Ali GNG filling station at Matuail few hours before the beginning of the blockade.
Two helpers of a covered van sustained injuries when miscreants
vandalised their parked vehicles on the spot, said Maksud, a helper of
the van.
At Aminbazar, blockade enforcers clashed with police and vandalised at
least three vehicles on Dhaka-Aricha highway in the morning.
Opposition activists blasted a crude bomb near BNP central office at
Naya Paltan around 11:15am. Police retaliated by firing in the air.
The city commuters suffered immensely for lack of public transport.
After sunset, major streets in the capital which usually remain abuzz
with heavy traffic turned deserted.
Three journalists were injured as miscreants exploded bombs at Naya
Paltan in front of the BNP office. Online news portal banglanews24.com
staff reporter Sajeda Sweety, Independent Television cameraperson
Chandan and SA TV cameraperson Mahmud were injured when four or five
bombs went off around 7:30pm. They were taken to Dhaka Medical College
Hospital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that they had arrested nine pickets in connection with the violence.
The correspondent in Tangail said BNP men had blocked Dhaka-Bangabandhu
Bridge highway at Ashokpur. A large number of trucks carrying goods got
stranded on the highway.
The correspondent in Sylhet said at least 35 activists of BNP were
injured as they clashed with police in Sylhet. The police and
RAB.arrested 23 activists.
Pickets blocked the Sylhet-Dhaka highway at Rashidpur under Dakkhin
Surma upazila in the morning triggering clashes with the police charging
batons to disperse the protesters.
In Noakhali, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a
crowd of protesters vandalising offices of bank branches business
establishments at Maizdi.
In Gazipur, pickets vandalised five vehicles in Kaliganj upazila. Train
services on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Rajshahi routes remained
suspended for nearly three hours.
In Meherpur, 18-party activists put up barricade at Kathipara
intersection on the Meherpur-Kathuli road, Bandar intersection of the
Meherpur-Mujibnagar road and at Rajnagar Bazar point of
Meherpur-Chuadanga road in the morning by placing logs and burning
tyres.
In Lalmonirhat, 18-party activists blocked railway in Mohendranagar area of sadar upazila in the morning. (source)