Isolated incidents mark hartal

A burnt human hauler lies on Nawab Sirajuddoula Road in Chittagong city's Dewan Bazar area after supporters of yesterday's hartal, enforced by four Islamist parties, torched it around 11:30am.Photo: STAR

Apart from some stray incidents of vandalism and attacks on police, yesterday's countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal, enforced by four Islamist parties, was observed peacefully.
Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir activists, backing the hartal, resorted to vandalism, set vehicles on fire and attacked police, said law enforcers.
Last week, 12 Islamist parties, most of which are mere names only, announced the hartal to counter a December 18 hartal, enforced by some left-leaning parties.
The December 18 hartal was called by the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal and Ganatantrik Bam Morcha, a platform of left-leaning parties, demanding, among others, a ban on religion-based politics.
In a last moment drama on Wednesday, eight of the 12 Islamist parties withdrew their support for yesterday's hartal, and finally Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon-led the shutdown.
Except in Dhaka, Chittagong and Bogra, hartal was observed loosely and roadside shops and shopping arcades remained closed, report our correspondents. Rangpur City Corporation area was outside the purview of hartal for the polls to RCC.
During hartal in the capital, from 6:00am to 2:00pm, buses of long routes did not run. Police said they arrested two Jamaat-Shibir men who were pelting a police van with bricks near Mirpur Bangla College around 9:00pm and detained nine people over an attempted arson on a bus in Katabon area.
In Chittagong, hartal supporters torched a human hauler on Nawab Sirajuddoula Road around 11:30am, while Shibir activists vandalised two trucks at Tinmatha intersection in Bogra, said police.