Double measures against voting

The BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance yesterday called a 48-hour countrywide hartal from 6:00am today, demanding cancellation of tomorrow's "farcical" election and protesting "confinement" of party chief Khaleda Zia.
The alliance called the shutdown at a time when their non-stop nationwide blockade of rail, roads and waterways has been going on, protesting against the holding of the polls.
On the third day of the blockade yesterday, at least two people were killed in an arson attack on a truck in Dinajpur while 55 others injured in separate incidents of attack and vandalism across the country.
Osman Faruq, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, announced the 48-hour shutdown at a press conference at his Gulshan residence in the capital yesterday evening.
He added the ongoing blockade of rail, roads and waterways would continue, alongside the nationwide shutdown.
Yesterday, the joint forces in separate drives in Natore, Chittagong, Pabna and Moulvibazar arrested at least 51 BNP-Jamaat men for their alleged involvement in vandalism and arson attacks across the country.
A mobile court in Pabna sentenced 13 people to 15 days in jail each for putting barricade on Pabna-Nagarbari highway, reports our Pabna correspondent.
In Dhaka, Rapid Action Battalion recovered 20 petrol bombs in an abandoned condition from a road near a slum in Agargaon early yesterday. None was arrested in this connection.
In Jhenaidah, blockaders blasted four homemade bombs in front of a house of local Awami League leader Rashidul Alam, also vice chairman of sadar upazila, in district town Thursday night.
In Noakhali, at least 20 people were injured, many of them bullet-hit, in a clash between the supporters of Awami League candidate Ayesha Ferdous and independent candidate Amirul Islam Amir at Hatia early yesterday.
Lalmonirhat district BNP general secretary Hafizur Rahman and four members of his family were injured as Chhatra League and Jubo League activists allegedly attacked them and set fire to his residence in the town on Thursday night, reports our district correspondent.
In Chandpur, at least 20 people, including vice-president of district unit BCL, were injured and some shops were vandalised during a clash between BNP and AL activists in Sadar upazila.
In Gaibandha, five cops, including the OC of Palashbari Police Station, were injured when a team of law enforcers came under attack by pro-blockade activists at Satdin Nayabander in Palashbari upazila yesterday.
The activists hurled brick chips at the law enforcers and attacked them with sharp weapons when they went there to visit polling stations. The attackers also set fire to two motorcycles.
On information, additional police and Rab members rushed to the spot and rescued the injured cops. They were admitted to Palashbari Health Complex.
Golam Mustafa, inspector (investigation), was later sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital as his condition deteriorated, hospital sources said.
Earlier in the day, local units of BNP called a two-day hartal in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Comilla and Bagerhat and a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Jhenaidah and Natore from today.