2 killed, 300 hurt during hartal

At least two persons were killed in Jessore and some 300 hurt in clashes involving rival political activists and police during an opposition-enforced 18-hour countrywide hartal that brought normal life almost to a halt.

 

A third death was a sequel to a pre-hartal incident in Dhaka.

 

The two, both aged around 18, died in Jessore from bomb and stab injuries during hartal hours.

 

The third, who had sustained bomb injuries on Monday night in Dhaka, later died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday morning.

 

One of the hartal victims was Ripon Mondal, 18, an Awami League supporter. He received multiple stab injuries at Abhoynagar under Jessore district and was dead when brought to nearer Khulna Sadar Hospital yesterday noon.

 

Ripon along with a dozen others received the injuries during a bloody clash when an Awami League procession came under attack by a rival group at 10 in the morning. The procession was heading for the local election office for filing nomination paper for a party candidate.

 

The second victim was a hawker named Rajkumar alias Rabi, 18.

 

Police said Rabi received injuries from bombs hurled by pro-hartal activists in Jessore town. He later died in the district hospital.

 

However, the Jatiya Party claiming Rabi as its worker alleged that "armed goons of Awami League" shot him to death.

 

Police said Mohammad Ali, 30, received injuries at Nababpur in Dhaka on Monday night when pro-hartal activists threw crackers at him. Ali died at DMCH the following morning.

 

The dawn-to-midnight shutdown, first of its kind, was enforced throughout the country by the BNP-led opposition alliance to press for four-point charter of demands including resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Abu Hena.

 

In the capital, police took into custody some 180 people from different parts of the city during the first 12 hours of the hartal period, said police.

 

Some 50 were injured in Dhaka, 10 of them cops admitted to Police Hospital.

 

Sixteen others including two policemen were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). The other injured left hospital after first aid.

 

In Dhaka city, the hartal hours were marked by sporadic bomb blasts, chase and counter-chase by pro- and anti-hartal activists and police action against troublemakers.

 

Processions led by some ruling party lawmakers paraded the city streets throughout the day denouncing the hartal and had encounters with pro-hartal opponents at several points.

 

A militant anti-hartal procession chased away a BNP procession led by party secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan when it reached Topkhana Road at 11:45.

 

The anti-hartal group, under the banner of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Punarbashan Society, wielding sticks searched for the pro-hartal activists as they ran away in fear.

 

Indiscriminate cracker blasts forced law-enforcers into action. They mainly used teargas canisters.

 

Earlier, police reacted with batons on another BNP procession near Jatiya Press Club premises at around 11 am when a home-made bomb fell right in midst of the melee narrowly missing the shoulder of a cop.

 

The processionists including BNP MPs Sadeq Hussain Khoka, Amanullah Aman, Nazimuddin Alam and its student front leader Habibun Nabi Sohel could not escape the police wrath. BNP claimed Aman had to be admitted to a city hospital.

 

A young woman called Liza, claimed to be a Jatiya Party activist, had injuries in her head in a sniper attack on Topkhana Road. She was rushed to DMCH.

 

Other major trouble spots of the day included Nayabazar, Paltan and Bijoynagar areas where hartal callers -- BNP, Jatiya Party, Jamaat and Jagpa -- brought out processions and blasted crackers.

 

Azim, an eight-year-old boy, lost his two hands when a bomb exploded in his hands at West Tejkuni Bazar in the morning. One unidentified man handed him that bomb moments before the blast.

Mohammed Ali, 35, a rickshawpuller, received burn injuries as pickets poured petrol on his rickshaw and set it on fire at Paridas Road in the old part of the city.

 

One Abdur Rahman lost the wrist of his right hand when the bomb he tried to throw exploded. The incident occurred at North South Road.

 

Police chased a procession of women activists of BNP which was parading the streets near the party's Dhaka city office at Nawab Yusuf Market in Old City.

 

Several crackers were thrown at police vans when five policemen were injured. Three of the women activists also received injuries while trying to escape police retaliation.

 

The pro-hartal processionists retreated when an anti-hartal procession led by Haji Selim, a ruling party lawmaker, appeared in the scene.

 

Another ruling party MP, Rahmatullah of Gulshan, led a procession of cars and motorbikes down the main city thoroughfares. At least 30 young riders escorted the lawmaker, who was visibly enjoying the hartal-hour ride standing on a sun-roof jeep.

 

All modes of vehicles except rickshaws and a few tempos went off the road in Dhaka. However, anti-hartal activists tried to run a number of buses without any passengers on board. A number of state-run BRTC double-deckers were also seen plying the city streets but without any passengers.

 

Inter-city road communication came to a halt.

 

However, Biman operated all scheduled domestic and international flights during hartal hours.

 

Railway officials claimed train services throughout the country were normal, except two minor incidents in Mymensingh.

 

A Dhaka-bound train from Bahadurabad was stranded at Islampur Bazar, a point between Mymensingh and Bahadurabad, for 35 minutes. Another train was stranded at Aaulianagar, between Tongi and Mymensingh, since pickets put up barricades on the track.

 

Schools remained closed while shops and businesses kept their shutters down. Presence in government and semi-government offices was very thin. Transactions in banks were also much less than normal.

 

Unlike previous occasions, vehicles carrying newsmen escaped the wrath of hartal activists yesterday.

 

 

Gazipur
A BNP office in Tongi College Gate area in Gazipur was ransacked by anti-hartal activists around 10 in the morning.

In a separate incident, Tongi municipal chairman Azmatullah Khan came under bomb attack when driving through the Cherag Ali Sur Taranga Road in the morning. He, however, escaped unhurt.

 

 

Pabna
Pro-hartal activists stormed the Sadar Thana Engineer Office and tried to set fire to it during hartal hours. They also tried to set ablaze the jeep of the Thana Nirbahi Officer.

 

 

Chittagong
In the port city, 25 people were injured, five with bullets, in clashes between police and pro-hartal activists.

 

The Laldighi area turned into a battlefield when pickets tried to march towards the Returning Officer's office at the Collectorate. They also set fire to the offices of Higher Secondary Education Directorate in Jamalkhan area.

BNP called a half-day hartal in the city today to protest the police action.

 

 

Bandarban
At least 20 people were injured, five critically, in an hour-long clash in the hill town between pro and anti-hartal elements. The clash ensued when pro-hartal activists allegedly attacked a procession of a municipal candidate.

 

 

Narayanganj
Our correspondent reported that the hartal was observed peacefully in the river port town. However, Adamjee Jute Mills and other mills and factories were in operation.

 

 

Natore
At least 15 people were injured in sporadic clashes in the district yesterday, reported our correspondent. An Awami League procession towards the election office was attacked by BNP activists near Madrassah Crossing around noon.

 

 

Sylhet
Our staff correspondent from Sylhet reported that the hartal was observed almost peacefully in Sylhet division except some minor incidents in Habiganj district town.

 

The pro-hartal activists ransacked Habiganj municipal building during hartal hours. They also pelted stones at the Water Development Board and Roads and Highways offices.