A fresh wave of violence left five people dead and several hundred
injured as demonstrators battled with lawmen, attacked rivals, torched
vehicles and targeted government offices and railway on Saturday, the
first day of a second spell of rail-road-waterway blockade enforced by
the opposition after a 24-hour interval.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance began enforcing the fresh
72-hour blockade from 6:00am Saturday in protest against ‘oppression’ on
the opposition and announcement of the schedule for the 10th
parliamentary polls by the Election Commission keeping the opposition
out of the process.
Dhaka remained virtually cut off from the rest of the country on the day
since no buses or trucks operated on long routes and train schedule
collapsed due to subversion by blockade enforcers. Flights and vessels
on waterways operated as usual but with a less number of passengers.
Blockaders also attacked an upazila nirbahi officer and commander of rapid action battalion in Jessore.
The railway authorities have instructed the train drivers to run trains
at a speed of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour instead of its regular speed
of 80 kilometres per hour to ensure security of trains and capture of
saboteurs, said railway minister Mazibul Hoque on Thursday.
Israfil Hossain, 25, son of Shahidul Islam of Harindia village of
Manirampur died in police firing; Juba Dal activist Mahbub Hossain was
ran over by a speeding truck when blockaders tried to attack the vehicle
at Ishwardi, two unidentified people died in road accidents after
blockaders chased vehicles in Bogra and Habubur Rahman, 52, was knocked
down and killed by a bus that lost control after pickets threw petrol
bombs at it at Malibagh level crossing in Dhaka around 8:45pm.
Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Israfil Hossain was killed and five,
including three law enforcers, were injured as opposition activists
clashed with the police in Kotchandpur of Jhenaidah.
The clashes broke out around 9:00am when police obstructed a BNP-Jamaat
procession in the bus stand area in Kotchandpur town. The protesters
vandalised vehicles and damaged at least four microbuses.
Marauding demonstrators also hurled petrol bombs and stones at the
police leaving a sub-inspector injured, prompting the police to open
fire on the mob that left Israfil dead. The local unit of the opposition
alliance called a daylong shutdown of Manirampur for Sunday in protest
against the killing of the Shibir activist.
Violence also rocked Chittgong city and its outskirts as blockaders
fought pitched battles with the police for more than two hours at
Colonel Hat, City Gate, AK Khan crossing and Alankar crossing.
Protesters blocked the road at Ispahani crossing in Chittagong and put
tree logs on railway halting train service for about two hours on
Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet routes.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the pickets.
Pickets hurled crude bombs at police at Bahaddarhat around 9.00am leaving a constable injured.
Two police constables – Anjan Chowdhury and Md Anis – sustained injuries
in the clashes and 21 people were arrested on charge of violence and
attack on police.
Additional deputy commissioner of Chittagong metropolitan police Tanvir
Arafat said that the situation was under control and drives were on to
arrest troublemakers.
In Bogra, two people died in accidents after pickets threw stones and bombs at running buses.
At Mokamtala, an unidentified passenger died after falling from the roof
of a bus that was trying to escape attack by pickets. A bicyclist was
run over by a bus that lost control after being chased by pickets at
Chandihara on the outskirts of the town, reported the correspondent in
Bogra.
Opposition activists damaged scores of vehicles stranded on
Dhaka-Rangpur highway after the announcement of the fresh spell of
blockade. Police and RAB struggled to clear the road in the face of
stiff resistance from the bomb-throwing blockaders.
Police fired rubber bullets to disperse blockaders at Sherpur and the
car of RAB 12 commander came under attack at Shahjahanpur. Pickets also
blasted several crude bombs in front of the district election office at
Malatinagar of the town which had been shifted to the deputy
commissioner’s office to avoid further acts of sabotage.
The correspondent in Pabna said Juba Dal activist Mahbub Hossain of
village Mirkamari in Ishwardi died as a speeding truck knocked him down
when he along with other blockaders tried to attack the vehicle around
6:15pm. He died on the spot.
Pedestrian Habibur Rahman, 52, was ran over by a bus of Suprabhat
Paribahan when it lost control while trying to escape arson attack at
Malibagh level crossing in Dhaka around 8:00pm. Habibur, a resident of
Madartek, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Five passengers of the
bus were also admitted to the hospital with burn injuries along with
two more pedestrians with critical injuries.
At least 10 people, including a policeman, were injured in clashes
between Shibir activists and police at Baralekha in Moulvibazar. Police
fired 15 shots to disperse the blockaders and arrested nine people on
the spot, reported the correspondent in Moulvibazar.
Hundreds of passengers in Barisal got stranded Friday night after the late announcement of the blockade.
The blockaders also ransacked four battery-run three-wheelers and
blasted crude bombs in different areas of the city on Saturday morning.
Police foiled an attempt to block Barisal-Dhaka highway at Kashipur.
The correspondent in Jessore said at least 20 people, including the
upazila nirbahi officer of Manirampur and three policemen, were injured
in clashes when police tried to remove the blockade on Jessore-Keshabpur
Road at Begaritala.
Reshma Sharmin, assistant superintendent of police, said that the UNO of
Manirampur, Sharif Nazrul Islam and at least three policemen were
wounded in clashes between BNP- Jamaat men and police around 3:30pm.
The blockaders damaged the car of the UNO, a police vehicle and set a truck on fire during the clashes.
A vehicle of Border Guard Bangladesh also came under attack at Natunhat
in the district headquarters. Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman,
commanding officer of 26 Border Guard Battalion, told New Age that
blockades had attacked his vehicle on his way to Benapole. ‘They fled
the scene after I fired four blank shots’, he added.
Around 100 passengers who entered Bangladesh through Benapole border
were stranded at the land port due to the fresh spell of blockade.
Shahidul Islam, manager, Shohag Paribahan at Benapole, told New Age that
the stranded passengers took shelters at different bus counters and
residential hotels.
Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Benapole immigration police,
said that about 100 passengers, including 20 children, had entered the
country through Benapole after the blockade was enforced.
Mohsin Milon, a C&F agent at Benapole land port, told New Age that
about 1,000 trucks carrying goods remained stranded at Benapole due to
the blockade.
In the capital, in a predawn swoop on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office,
police in plain clothes picked up its joint secretary general Ruhul
Kabir Rzvi and executive committee member Belal Ahmed. Several crude
bombs were exploded by blockaders in different parts of the capital,
including Gabtali and Green Road, in the morning.
Police arrested two people at Green Road after chase and counter-chase
with Shibir activists. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city
streets in the morning as the number of motorised vehicles was visibly
low.
No long-route bus left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtali terminals since morning. Law enforcers guarded the city streets.
Train services on Chandpur-Laksham-Sylhet route remained suspended as
the opposition activists blocked rail tracks near Chhayabani cinema in
Chandpur town.
The Lalmonirhat correspondent said opposition activists had put blockade
on four railway routes, including Lalmonirhat-Dhaka route near
Mahendranagar station. A Rangpur-bound train also got stranded there.
At least eight vehicles were vandalised at Shimultala point of Lalmonirhat and Saptibari in Aditmari upazila.
In Rajshahi, blockaders torched five trucks and two microbuses in the city’s Dewanpara area.
At least 15 crude bombs were exploded in Laxmipur town. Blockaders
started fires on roads at Ramganj, Bhabaniganj, Raipur, Rakhalia and
Dalal Bazar of the town. They also brought out processions in the
morning.
The previous spell of 71-hours blockade left at least 19 people killed in violence. (source)