Buses were burnt and railway lines sabotaged as clashes between
demonstrators and the police were reported from different places across
the country on Sunday, the second day of the fresh spell of
rail-road-waterway blockade enforced by the opposition parties.
The blockade virtually snapped communications between the capital and
the rest of the country badly affecting life and taking a heavy toll on
economy.
Railway remained a prime target of the blockaders as they torched carriages,
removed fishplates and rail tracks at places causing derailment of several trains that left at least two dozens injured.
At least 250 people were injured as an inter-city train on
Dhaka-Chittagong route derailed in Burichang upazila of Comilla on
Sunday night after miscreants removed fishplates from tracks in a
spectacular act of railway sabotage.
Hamidul Haque, acting station master of Comilla Railway Station, told
New Age that the locomotive and four carriages of the Dhaka-bound
Mahanagar Godhuli Express had derailed between Rajapur and Shasidal
railway stations around 7:45pm.
The sabotage forced suspension of train services on Chittagong-Dhaka and Chittagong-Sylhet routes, he said.
Miscreants set fire to the Natore district election office around midnight Saturday.
Five people were killed on the first day of the fresh 72-hour blockade
on Saturday while widespread violence during the first spell of blockade
had claimed 19 lives, many of them victims of transport arson.
The death toll could continue to rise, as doctors feared that some of
the victims with severe burns could succumb to their wounds. The
Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance began enforcing the
72-hour blockade on Saturday in protest against the government’s move
to hold ‘unilateral’ polls before reaching an understanding over an
election-time administration.
Blockaders torched a bus carrying garment workers by spreading gun
powder in front of Shiddhirganj power station at 7:00am on Sunday.
Police quoting the passengers said that at least 20 youths attacked the
bus and set it on fire by spreading gun powder. Five of the workers
suffered burns while others managed to get off the bus unhurt.
Another bus was torched at Hajiganj in Fatulla around 7.30am but none
was injured. Chhatra Dal activists brought out processions in the town
and blasted crude bombs.
Three passengers of a three-wheeler suffered appalling burns after
blockaders hurled petrol bombs at the vehicle at Lebukhali ferry point
in Patuakhali. One of the victims, Abdus Sattar, a retired madrassah
teacher has been shifted Dhaka with 40 per cent of his body burnt.
The other victims – Mujibur Rahman, 44, a teacher of Pagasia Alia
Madrasa and Ataur Rahman, 40, land office staff at Dumki, have been
admitted to Patuakhali General Hospital.
Opposition activists continued to occupy the entrance to the Chittagong
city at Colonel Haat and blockade railway at AK Khan crossing and in
City Gate area halting train service between the port city and the rest
of the country. The opposition activists went out on demonstration at
Bahaddarhat, Bakalia, Dewanhat, Alankar crossing, Khulshi and
Halishahar. Police fired rubber bullets at several places to disperse
the protesters while pickets blasted crude bombs across the city.
At least 30 people were injured as blockaders clashed with the police at
Kaliakair in Gazipur after police obstructed a procession at Sahebbazar
in Kaliakair bypass area.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the stone-throwing
pickets. At least 30 activists, including BNP’s district unit secretary
Kazi Saidul Alam Babul, sustained injuries in the clashes. The upazila
unit of BNP has called a daylong strike in Kaliakair for Monday in
protest at the police action.
Activists of Swechchhasebak Dal brought out processions and blasted
crude bombs at Joydevpur bazaar and at Tongi. They put blockade on
Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and damaged a number of vehicles.
Assistant sub-inspector Hamid of Konabari police outpost said pickets
had started fire on the highway halting traffic for an hour.
Activists of the BNP-led alliance set fire to the district unit office
of Jatiya Party in Kurigram and manhandled former minister Tajul Islam
Chowdhury. The opposition marches attacked the Jatiya Party office at
Sabuj Para in the town.
They pounced on Tajul Islam Chowdhury, also a Jatiya Party candidate for
the next polls, at Kalibari crossing and vandalised his motorcycle.
The blockaders set fire to two carriages of Rajshahi-bound Uttara
Express at Naldanga station in Natore around 10:00am leaving several
passengers injured.
At least 12 people were injured when four carriages and the locomotive
of Dhaka-bound Dhumketu Express derailed around 2:00am after blockaders
removed fishplates from rail tracks at Sholua near Sharda station in
Charghat of Rajshahi. The injured were taken to the local clinics.
Kamalapur railway station master Dipendra Saha said service of Dhumketu
Express and Padma Express between Dhaka and Rajshahi had been cancelled
for Sunday. Dhaka-bound Mahanagar Godhuli Express from Chittagong
derailed
at Pachora in Brahmanpara upazila of Comilla around 8:00pm after blockaders removed rail tracks.
Trains from Bangabandhu Bridge’s east part and Akhaura arrived in Dhaka
four hours late while trains from Sylhet, Khulna and Chittagong were
late by three hours, he said.
Tarakandi-bound Agnibina Express and Chittagong-bound Turna Nishitha
left Dhaka four hours behind the schedule and Chittagong-bound Meghna
Express stopped at Nauri in Shahrasti upazila due to railway sabotage,
he said.
The correspondent in Natore said miscreants had set fire to the Natore district election office around midnight Saturday.
Police fired five rounds to disperse the arsonists but none could be arrested.
Nahid Hassan, superintendent of police, said the arsonists had poured
petrol and set fire to the office after smashing the windowpanes of two
rooms. Fire engines put out the flames after frantic efforts.
The Dulu Mukti Parishad has called a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the
district for today demanding immediate release of BNP central leader
Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu.
Opposition activists put blockade at different points on Rangpur–Dhaka
highway, including Modern crossing, CO bazaar, Bus Terminal and Darshana
intersection in the city, reported the correspondent there.
Police arrested 10 BNP men, including a municipal ward councillor, for
vandalism in the town on Sunday. The BNP activists vandalised vehicles
in the town on Saturday night.
Three day-labourers suffered burns after opposition supporters set fire
to a sand-laden truck at Fulbaria in Brahmanbaria and vandalised some
other vehicles. Labourers Abdur Razzak, Zaher Mia and Md Mosharaf, all
from village Nazirpur of Habiganj, were taken to hospital.
Auto-rickshaw driver Khairul Islam suffered burns after his vehicle went
up in flames in a petrol bomb attack in front of Magura upazila
complex. He was taken to Magura General Hospital.
In Kaliganj of Gazipur, truck driver Minu Mia, 42, and his assistant
Rubel, 30, suffered severe burns as blockade enforcers set the truck on
fire on Ghorashal–Kaliganj road on Saturday night. They were shifted to
Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The correspondent in Sylhet said crude bombs were hurled at the houses
of two Jatiya Party-nominated candidates for the 10th parliamentary
election in Sylhet.
Police said miscreants had thrown several bombs at the houses of former
Sylhet municipal chairman Babrul Hossain Babul and Zakiganj upazila
chairman Sabbir Ahmad at Bateshwar and Shahjalal upashahar respectively.
The opposition alliance also enforced a daylong shutdown in Dakkhin
Surma, Companiganj, Goainghat and Jaintapur upazilas in protest at the
‘attacks’ on the alliance leaders and withdrawal of cases filed against
them.
Blockaders vandalised two CNG-run auto-rickshaws and five rickshaws in Dakkhin Surma in the city.
Blockaders torched a medicine-carrying covered van of Incepta
Pharmaceuticals and ransacked nine other vehicles in Barisal on Sunday.
Police foiled an attempt to block Barisal-Dhaka highway at Kashipur and Rupatali.
The BNP-led alliance has called a daylong strike in Begumganj upazila
for Monday protesting at the filing of ‘false’ cases against lawmaker
Barkat Ullah Bulu, also joint secretary general of BNP.
In Dhaka, Juba Dal activists brought out processions at Hatirjheel,
Mirpur 11, Tejgaon, Hajipara and Uttara while Chhatra Shibir men at
Green Road and Khilkhet in the morning but police quickly dispersed
them.
The police recovered 16 live bombs at Green Road after clashes with Shibir men.
Several crude bombs were also exploded by the blockaders in different
parts of the capital in the morning. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws
dominated the city streets in the morning. (source)