Hartals enforced in 8 districts

Opposition BNP and its allies yesterday enforced hartals in eight districts.
The hartal was observed to protest a court warrant for the arrest of BNP vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in a money-laundering case.
Main opposition BNP on Monday called for daylong hartals in Chittagong, Laxmipur, Comilla, Tangail, Feni and Kishoreganj districts while half-day hartal in Joypurhat and Faridpur districts.
Roadblock, burning of tyres and bomb explosions and damaging of vehicles marked hartal in several districts including Comilla, Laxmipur, Feni and Kishoreganj, report our correspondents.
In Laxmipur, a group of JCD workers brought out a procession from north Temuhani in the district town in the morning. As police obstructed the procession, pro-hartal pickets blasted several crude bombs.
Hartal supporters blocked several roads in the town by placing logs and burning old tyres in the morning.
In Comilla, opposition activists brought out separate processions in different areas of the district. Pro-hartal pickets blocked roads near the Government Women College in the city by burning used tyres.
In Joypurhat, a procession was brought out by BNP and its associate bodies in the district town. Later, they held a rally at zero point of the town where BNP district president Mojahar Ali Pradhan spoke, among others.
In Feni, pickets damaged 8-10 covered vans and trucks at Mahipal and Rampur points of Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
They also blasted at least 15 cocktails at different points of the district town.
In Tangail, police detained district unit general secretary of Shramik Dal AKM Monirul Haque, town unit convenor of Swechchhasebak Dal Taibur Rahman Aslam, and Shramik Dal activists Sabuj Ahmed and Sanwar Hossain when they were picketing at Aminbazar area in the town.
In Kishoreganj, opposition activists blasted two cocktails behind Kishoreganj police station.
Pro-hartal men also vandalised at least 20 vehicles on Dhaka-Kishoreganj road and at Bonlai and Ghaital.
Issuing a arrest warrant, a Dhaka court on Sunday asked the government to take necessary steps to bring back BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman, elder son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, from Britain with the help of Interpol.