Hartal ends with stray incidents

Ruling coalition supporters manhandle an AL woman activist at Shyamoly, top, while police boot and beat former AL MP Hazi Selim at Azimpur, bottom, when they took out pro-hartal processions in the city yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

The 36-hour hartal enforced by the Awami League-led 14-party opposition line-up ended yesterday with stray incidents of violence in Dhaka and a few other places in the country.

Pro-hartal processions were brought out in different areas of the capital while ruling coalition activists staged anti-hartal demonstrations.

Police charged batons to disperse a pro-hartal procession at Azimpur at about 11:30am leaving 15 people including former AL lawmaker Hazi Mohammad Selim injured.

Ruling BNP activists swooped on Jubo Mahila League workers on Ring Road at Shyamoly during the hartal hours. Chanting anti-hartal slogans, they attacked the procession with rods and hockey sticks and manhandled the AL female activists.

In Bhanga of Faridpur, at least 50 people including the officer-in-charge (OC) of Bhanga Police Station and six journalists were injured in a clash between AL and BNP activists.

The hartal followed a series of stoppages since January 29 enforced by the mainstream opposition protesting the killing of former finance minister and AL lawmaker Shah AMS Kibria and four others in the January 27 grenade carnage in Habiganj. The opposition movement also demands resignation of the BNP-Jamaat-led ruling coalition to pave the way for fresh polls.

In the capital, around 10,000 security personnel were deployed at different strategic points to ward off any violence.

Despite the shutdown, most passenger buses plied the city streets while rickshaws ran as usual. Educational institutions, shopping centres and most private offices remained closed or operated with thin presence. Transactions in banks were almost normal.

Train and air services were normal.

Police and anti-hartal elements searched a number of houses in Mohammadpur and picked up at least eight women activists who took part in a pro-hartal demonstration earlier.

As on the previous hartal days, police barricaded the roads around the AL central office at Bangabandhu Avenue throughout yesterday to prevent party activists and hartal supporters from gathering there. Only a few senior AL leaders were seen in the barricaded area.

Of the injured in police baton charge in Azimpur, Hazi Selim was admitted to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital. Police picked up seven opposition activists from the spot.

Activists of Awami Jubo Mahila League damaged a vehicle at around noon in Mohammadpur. They fled when police rushed to the spot.

Police along with some ruling party activists searched two nearby houses in a failed bid to arrest the activists.

Later, police picked up eight women activists from an apartment building at Prabal Housing and allegedly beat them up at Mohammadpur Police Station. The eight included Sathi, Sonali, Nasrin, Maya, Nilufar and Shammi, sources said.

Unidentified persons set a passenger bus on fire at Kutubkhali in Demra at about 1:00pm.

AL lawmakers and other leaders of the party brought out a procession from the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area at around 11:45am. The processionists paraded Mirpur road and held a rally at Russell square.

A large number of security personnel including plainclothes police kept vigil on the procession and the rally. Police tried to pick up some pickets from the area but failed as senior AL lawmakers intervened.

BNP-backed transport workers brought out an anti-hartal procession from Muktangon and denounced the opposition for calling hartals frequently, crippling life.

Processions supporting hartal were brought out in Mohammadpur, Bangla Bazar in old city, Jagannath College area and some other places.

A correspondent from Madaripur reports: At least 50 people including six journalists and several police men were injured as AL and BNP activists clashed at Bishaw Road intersection in Banga thana of Faridpur.

Witnesses said OC Abdur Rouf, a sub-inspector, and several other cops were injured while trying to bring the situation under control.

About 20 shops were ransacked during the clash.

Our staff correspondent in Chittagong adds: The second day of the 36-hour hartal passed off peacefully in the port city.

The shutdown was observed partially as plying of vehicles, excepting long distance ones, was almost normal. Business activities increased yesterday though large shopping centres remained closed.

Banking transactions took place, but on a smaller scale.

Loading and unloading of cargo inside the port was normal and delivery of goods to and from the port resumed after 2:00pm.