Violent acts mark 18-party enforced shutdown in dists

The countrywide daylong shutdown enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance passed off amid vandalism, arson attacks, bomb blasts and clashes between pickets and law enforcers in different districts yesterday, report our correspondents.
At least 82 people were injured in clashes and over 50 vehicles were vandalised and set afire during hartal hours. Police arrested 212 pickets from different districts.
In Narayanganj, police picked up at least 16 Jamaat-Shibir men and Narayanganj district BNP General Secretary ATM Kamal from a procession in Chashara area of the city. Pickets vandalised several vehicles in the area.
Police also detained Fatulla Swechchasebok Dal President Md Shamim, three Jamaat and seven Shibir activists from the area in the morning.
Besides, BNP men set fire to a bus and two trucks at Kanchon under Rupganj upazila during hartal hours.
In Chittagong, pro-hartal activists torched a bus at Chandgaon in the city at around 9:45am. Later, police picked up city BNP Vice-President Abu Sufian from Bahaddarhat.
Five pickets were also arrested at Sagarika intersection in the port city. The pro-hartal activists set a bus afire near Boropool at Halishahar at around 11:45am. Bus driver Md Hassan sustained burn injuries.
Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner (west zone) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said law enforcers picked up 20 pickets from the area on charge of setting fire to the bus.
In Rajshahi, at least 10 people, including a police officer, were injured during a clash between police and pickets at Charghat in the morning.
Of the injured, Ziaul Haque, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Charghat Police Station, was admitted to the upazila health complex while the rest were given first aid.
The pickets vandalised a microbus and torched three motorbikes during the clash. Police fired at least 20 tear gas shells and 30 rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, said Emran Hossain, additional superintendent of police, Rajshahi. Police also picked up 30 pro-hartal men from the scene, he added.
In Khulna, at least 25 people, including two cops, were injured during sporadic clashes between police and pro-hartal activists in different areas of the city during hartal.
Pro-hartal activists set fire to several vehicles. Police picked up 36 BNP and JCD men, including district BNP Vice-President Kawser Jamadder.
On Monday night, police arrested 10 BNP and JCD men, including Shafiqul Alam Mona, general secretary of BNP Khulna district unit from their houses.
In Sylhet, at least 10 people, including two photojournalists, were injured during a clash between JCD and BCL men in the city's Khojarkhola area.
Injured photojournalists are Ashkar Amin Rabbi of Kaler Kantha and Nurul Islam of local daily Sylhet Surma. They were admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Police arrested two JCD men from Dakkhin Surma area, said Rezaul Karim, deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP).
Md Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Dakkhin Surma Police Station, said police chased JCD men as they were hurling brick chips at the law enforcers from a procession in the area at around 12:30pm.
Sylhet district and city AL units took out an anti-hartal procession from Court Point area. City Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, Zila parishad administrator Abduj Jahir Chowdhury Sufian, and lawmaker Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury also joined the procession.
In Rangpur, police detained two Jamaat-Shibir activists, Abdullah Morsalin, 24, and Anwarul Islam, 30, on charge of vandalising vehicles in Dharmadash area of the city during hartal.
Altaf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said the two were arrested while damaging vehicles in the area.
In Lalmonirhat, at least seven people, including district BNP General Secretary Hafizur Rahman Babla and two policemen, sustained injured during sporadic clashes between pro-hartal activists and police at Mission Road and Mahendranagar areas of the town.
Law enforcers fired several rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the pickets from Mission Road area.
Pro-hartal activists vandalised two buses in Mahendranagar area. Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the pickets and arrested seven of them from the spot.
In Pabna, BNP and AL activists clashed in Ishwardi, leaving at least 10 people from both sides injured. Train services between Dhaka and northern districts remained halted for two hours from 7:00am as pro-hartal activists put up barricades on track in Ishwardi.
Police and locals said pro-AL activists swooped on an AL procession near Ishwardi bus stand, prompting the AL men to retaliate. Both sides traded several rounds of bullets and exploded bombs during the clash.
Later, the AL men vandalised the residence of Md Jewel, convener of Ishwardi municipality unit of Swechchasebok Dal, and ATM booth of Islami Bank in Ambagan area.
In Chapainawabganj, police arrested 25 BNP, Jamaat and Shibir activists from five upazilas on Monday night and a BNP activist named Sarwar Hossain from Biswa Road intersection in the town during yesterday's hartal.
In Manikganj, ten pro-hartal activists were injured when police charged batons on their procession in bus stand area of the town yesterday.
Sramik Dal leader Abdul Kader, JCD activists Razib Hasan Khan, Ramil, Tanvir, and Yusuf, and Juba Dal leader Bashir Uddin are among the injured.
Besides, police picked up four BNP men from Ghior while they were picketing on the roads.
In Gaibandha, activists of BCL vandalised district BNP office at Circular Road in the town during hartal hours.
In Palashbari upazila, a pick up van, carrying food for cops, came under attack by pro-hartal picketers. They vandalised the vehicle and later set it afire. Two policemen received injuries during the attack. Police lobbed tear gas shell and fired blank shots to disperse the pickets. They arrested five people for picketing.
In Narsingdi, law enforcers picked up 15 people, including BNP town unit President Golam Kabir Kamal, from a procession at Bamundi intersection at around 8:45am.
In Feni, pickets set fire to a covered van on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mohammad Ali Bazar in Sadar upazila at around 4:00am.
Pickets exploded at least four bombs on the highway at Mohipal near the district town in the morning.
In Mymensingh, at least 10 pickets were picked up from Mymensingh town and Bhaluka upazila during hartal hours.
Motaleb Mia, officer-in-charge of Bhaluka Police Station, said seven pro-hartal activists were held on charge of vandalising a police van at the upazila headquarters.
In Bogra, Jubo Dal and Jubo League men clashed at Satmatha in Bogra town, leaving at least ten people from both sides injured.
Pickets exploded at least three cocktails in front of Bogra Sadar Police Station at 8:30am.
They vandalised and torched several vehicles at Nawdapara, Puran Bogra, Tinmatha intersection and Charmatha bus terminal in the town.
Police picked up two pickets from Charmatha area in the morning.
In Bagerhat, police arrested four Jamaat men, including district unit President Ajmal Hossain from Adalat area on Bagerhat-Khulna highway at around 7:00am.
Pickets vandalised three motorcycles in Dema area in the morning.
In Sirajganj, at least five people were injured during a clash between pro-hartal activists and police at Rahmatganj in Sadar upazila.
Pickets vandalised at least 15 vehicles on Bangabandhu Bridge approach road and two trucks in Mirpur area.
Besides, law enforcers arrested 29 BNP and Jamaat men from different areas of the town on Monday night on change of vandalism during 18-party alliance's road blockade programme on Sunday.