Stray violence marks hartal
The nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, protesting the latest fuel price hike, was marked by incidents of arson, vandalism, explosions, and chases and counter-chases yesterday.
At least 15 vehicles were vandalised, two were set ablaze, 35 homemade bombs exploded and three people were injured in Dhaka city alone.
Chases and counter-chases among pickets, anti-hartal activists and law enforcers took place in the capital as well.
Police said they arrested 70 people across the country during the hartal but opposition party BNP claimed that more than 300 people were picked up.
Vehicular movement was minimal on city streets while most of the shops remained closed. Buses on long-routes from Dhaka did not leave but launches and trains set off as usual.
Passengers of international flights suffered at Shahjalal International Airport. Many of departing passengers reached the airport around 24 hours ahead of time to avoid the uncertainty of travelling during hartal. Arriving passengers waited for hours before they could manage transport from the airport.
Pro-hartal activists set fire to a parked bus at Mirpur-6 around 6:15am yesterday when bus driver Javed Hossain, 35, and his friend were sleeping inside it. They sustained burn injuries.
Pickets smashed the windscreen of a CNG-run three-wheeler at Fakirerpool around 2:00pm injuring driver Mohammad Julhash.
Pickets also set fire to a car around 9:30am at Shankhari Bazar area in Old Dhaka. None was injured there.
Pro-hartal activists also vandalised a BRTC bus in front of Mirpur Bangla College around 7:00am, three buses at East-Sheorapara around 3:45pm, a bus at Badda around 8:00am, four buses at Jatrabari around 7:30am, a microbus and a van at Babu Bazar around noon, and a car and two auto rickshaws at Banani around 1:30pm.
Homemade bombs exploded at Babu Bazar, on Dhaka University campus, at Mirpur, in front of BNP office at Nayapaltan, Mohakhali, Dholai Khal, Arambagh, Khilgaon and a few other places in the city.
Pickets and law enforcers got involved in chases and counter-chases on Panthapath around 6:30am. Police fired several shotgun shells to disperse them.
Activists of pro-ruling party Bangladesh Chhatra League unit of Jagannath University clashed with pro-BNP lawyers on Johnson Road in Old Dhaka around 1:15pm. Police fired at least 15 rubber bullets and around 20 teargas shells to disperse the clashing groups.
Police detained two pro-opposition Chhatra Dal activists when they tried to bring out a precession in Banani around 9:00am. Police fired several teargas canisters to stop the procession.
A group of pro-hartal activists resorted to hit-and-run tactics and damaged four buses around 7:30am in Kutubkhali of Jatrabari. Another group tried to block the Dhaka-Chittagong highway by setting fire to trash on the road.
Like any other hartal days, law enforcers virtually cordoned off the BNP's head office at Nayapaltan since early morning.
Huge contingents of law enforcers were deployed at all key points of the capital during hartal hours. Some 10,000 additional law enforcers were supposed to be deployed in Dhaka metropolitan area, Rab officials and police had said.
On the eve of the hartal, at least seven vehicles were set on fire and 10 bombs went off at places in the capital.
BNP leader Tariqul Islam alleged that the government agents and criminals committed the pre-hartal violence to frame the opposition leaders.
"BNP had no links with yesterday's [Saturday's] vandalism and torching of vehicles," he told reporters in front of the party's head office.
OUTSIDE DHAKA
At least 30 people including two policemen were injured during clashes between police and pickets across the country outside of the capital.
More than 13 vehicles including a police van were vandalised and several homemade bombs explo-ded during hartal hours. Police arrested 15 pickets.
At least 15 people including two policemen were injured when pro-hartal activists and police clashed in Shiddhirganj upazila of Narayanganj.
Pickets vandalised two CNG-run three-wheelers in Chittagong.
At least seven people were injured when a bus overturned at Fakirhat after hitting a tree trunk put on the road allegedly by pro-hartal activists.
Police arrested 11 pro-Jamaat student body Islami Chhatra Shibir men at Kaharol of Dinajpur when they brought out a procession.
At least eight BNP leaders and activists were injured when police charged truncheons on their gathering in front of the BNP office in Barisal. Police also arrested four people in Barisal city.
In Narsingdi, hartal supporters vandalised eight vehicles including a police van at Velanagar of the town.
Pro-hartal activists vandalised a bus and two battery-run vehicles in Khulna city. Ten BNP leaders and activists were arrested in that city.
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