Woman killed in Noakhali picket’s attack

A woman was killed when an alleged picket hurled brick chips at a covered van carrying her in Noakhali town during the countrywide hartal enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The hartal is also being marked by explosions of homemade bombs and detention in many parts of the country including Natore and Bogra.

The alliance enforced the strike from 6:00am today as BNP was not allowed to hold a rally in Gazipur on Sunday.

NOAKHALI

The woman who was killed in an attack by a picket was identified as Shamsunnahar, 37, hailed from Char Poragachha in Ramgati upazila of Laxmipur.

She was a former senior teacher of Towheed Laboratory School at Agargaon in Dhaka, said Mursheda Khatun, the principal of the school.

“Shamsunnahar resigned from the job on December 22 as she wanted to be settled at Ramgati. So she left her Dhaka residence yesterday,” Mursheda said.

The victim along with her family was on way to their village home in Ramgati of Laxmipur district. They started the journey around 1:00am by a covered van, Anowar Hossain, officer in charge of Sudharam Model Police Station, said quoting Shajahan Siraj, husband of the victim.

Shamsunnahar came under the attack when picket hurled brick chips on their vehicle in front of Noakhali Municipality Market in Noakhali Sadar Upazila. She lost her sense when a piece of brick hit on her head, the OC quoted Siraj as saying.

Locals rushed her to Noakhali Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College Hospital where on duty doctor declared her dead.

No other activities of hartal supporters were seen in the area since morning.

BOGRA

The hartal supporters blasted four crude bombs at PTI intersection in the town around 6:00am but none was hurt, reports our Bogra correspondent quoting Gaziur Rahman, additional superintendent of Police (Media) in Bogra.

Pro-hartal activists also brought out several brisk processions in the town’s Chelopara, Sutrapur, Shabgram and Khandar areas in the morning.

“Hartal is going on peacefully,” the ASP further said.

NATORE

The activists of Jamaat, a key component of BNP-led 20-party alliance, brought out a procession on Dhaka-Natore highway in Chakrampur area in the town around 6:30an and set fire to a tyre, Munshi Shahabuddin, additional superintendent of police in Natore, told The Daily Star.

“Law enforcers dispersed the Jamaat men from the highway immediate after the incident,” the official said.

The activist of BNP and its associate bodies also brought out a procession at the town’s Station Bazar area around 7:30am in support of the daylong hartal.

Meanwhile, ruling Awami League activists brought out an anti-hartal procession at Kanaikhali area around 11:30am.