4 killed in hartal clashes
Police fire teargas canisters at clashing activists of ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP at Shaheb Bazar area in Rajshahi city today.
Four people were killed in separate clashes in three districts on the third and final day of the opposition's 60-hour hartal today.
Two Jamaat-Shibir activists were killed in police retaliation in Cox's Bazar and a BNP worker died in Boalkhali upazila of Chitttagong in an AL-BNP clash.
A BNP supporter was killed and four people were injured when police opened fire in a clash between the activists of opposition combine and ruling Awami League in Mohammadpur upazila of Magura during hartal hours today.
Meanwhile, a ward-level AL leader, who sustained injuries during Monday’s hartal violence in Kishoreganj, succumbed to his injuries last night.
The BNP-led 18-party opposition combine enforced the 60-hour hartal from Sunday 6:00am demanding an all-party polls-time government.
Protesting the killing, BNP district unit called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the upazila for tomorrow, reports our Jessore correspondent quoting Kabir Murad, general secretary of the district BNP.
CHITTAGONG
Two supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir were killed when police after being attacked by the opposition activists opened fire in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
Ten more Jamaat activists and seven policemen were also hurt during the clash that continued for around two hours, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reports.
The clash erupted around 6:00pm after the opposition activists brought out a procession at South Dhurong Bazar.
“At one point, they opened fire on the on-duty policemen from their procession without any provocation,” said Zahirul Islam Khan, officer-in-charge of Kutubdia police station.
Twelve Jamaat-Shibir men received bullet injuries during the clash.
Of them, Abu Bakar Siddique, 65, and Mohammad Yunus, 20, died while they were being taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Seven members of police also sustained injuries and received treatment in Kutubdia Upazila Health Complex.
Azad Mia, Cox’s Bazar superintendent of police, said additional police have been sent to Kutubdia from nearby police stations to bring the situation under control.
Following a separate clash between the activists of AL and BNP in Boalkhali upazila of Chitttagong this afternoon in Police also recovered an unidentified body from a canal.
Jahirul Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) of Boalkhali Police Station, said the activists of both parties brought out pro and anti-hartal processions at Fultal in the upazila around 12:30pm on the last day of countrywide 60-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance.
Suddenly the archrivals started hurling brick chips targeting the each other's procession triggering the clash, reports our correspondent quoting the OC.
Failing to quell the clashing groups, law enforcers had to fire more than 20 rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, the police official said.
Around two-and-a-half hour later, police recovered the body from the canal adjacent to the spot where the AL and BNP men clashed.
"The man might have jumped into the canal for safety and drowned," the police official said.
At least 10 people, including two bullet-hit, were also injured in the clash.
Rubber bullet-hit Sirajul Islam, 33 and Ali Akbar, 34, were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
MAGURA
Maruf, 25, a BNP activist and son of Afsar Ali of Nityanandapur in Mohammadpur upazila died when police opened fire during a clash between the activists of ruling AL and opposition combine around 11:40am.|
During the clash, four people also injured.
Of the injured, two were shifted to Dhaka as their condition is stated to be critical.
The clash erupted at Baraiya Bazar in the upazila when the activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami tried to set fire to shops in the area, said Nuruzzaman, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Mohammadpur Police Station.
When the AL men tried to resist the opposition men, a chase and counter-chase took place between them, the ASI said.
At one stage, police fired five rubber bullets and lobbed several teargas canisters to bring the situation under control, the police official added.
During the incident, Maruf died and four were injured.
The victim was brought dead at Magura Sadar Hospital around 1:00pm, said Dr Arun Kanti of the hospital.
Kabir Murad, general secretary of Magura district BNP unit, told The Daily Star that the deceased is a BNP worker and he died in police firing.
KISHOREGANJ
Deceased Sher Ali, president of ward No. 7 at Boladiya union in Bajitpur upazila, succumbed to his injuries at Jahurul Islam Medical College and Hospital around 11:30pm, reports our Kishoreganj correspondent.
Ali was injured when the workers of ruling AL clashed with pro-hartal activists in the upazila around yesterday noon during the hartal hours.
Mobarak Hossain, joint convener of Bajitpur upazila AL unit, said that Ali died after sustaining severe injuries in his chest.
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