Stray incidents mark hartal
Vehicles damaged, 300 BNP activists arrested
Courtesy New Age 30/11/10 Staff Correspondent
Police action and arrests kept the Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists from picketing during the opposition called dawn-to-dusk hartal that disrupted life across the country on Tuesday. 
At least 300 protesters were arrested in different part of the country during the hartal hours and sporadic incidents of violence and damage of vehicles were reported.
The police detained 60 people in Dhaka, 21 in Cox's Bazar, 15 in Sylhet, eight in Barisal, 12 in Narsingdi, 15 in Dinajpur, three in Khulna, 17 in Jessore, 17 in Noakhali, three in Chittagong, three in Jaipurhat, seven in Moulvibazar, 18 in Munshiganj and three in Nilphamari.
Clashes between pickets and police or ruling party activists were reported from Narsingdi, Noakhali, Jaipurhat and Rajshahi.
The BNP called the general strike to register protest against eviction of the party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, `illegally' from the cantonment house, `conspiracies' to destroy the military, wholesale politicisation of administration and judiciary, `anti-state' deals, crises of gas, water and power, price hike of essentials, law and order slide and `repression' on opposition activists.
In the capital, at least three buses and a CNG-run three-wheelers were set on fire and around 10 motorised vehicles were damaged outside Dhaka during the hartal hours.
A few buses, three-wheelers and human haulers were seen on the main roads in the city. Inter-district buses kept off roads but rail and launch services were not hampered by the hartal. Most of the business houses and educational institutions remained shut.
Banks and other public offices carried out their activities in the city under police protection, but the presence of clients and employee was thin, sources concerned said.
Police picked up over 45 people, including BNP activists and opposition women lawmakers, from in front of the party's Naya Paltan central office during the strike hours. Many of them, however, were released in the evening.
Our correspondents from most of the places across the country reported that police dispersed pro-hartal pickets and detained protesters trying to bring out procession.
The ruling Awami League and its front organisations staged anti-hartal demonstrations in some parts of the country, including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Gopalganj. Activists of Chhatra League, the AL's associate body for students, were seen active on different city roads, particularly on the Dhaka University campus and Titumir College area, and chanting anti-hartal slogans.
A large contingent of police blocked roads around the BNP office barring party activists from organising processions or rallies in the area. Police also kept the party's central office cordoned all day barring party activists from entering it. Later on the day, police allowed traffic on the road in front of the BNP's Naya Paltan office.
A couple of crackers were exploded near Naya Paltan community centre in the morning and two others in front of Haq's Bay car showroom in the evening.
BNP secretary general Khandakar Delwar Hossain, senior joint-secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, jont-secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque and several other leaders stayed inside the office but did not try to bring out any procession except one early in the morning.
BNP activists in other parts of the city did not bring out any processions. Activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which had extended support to the hartal, tried to bring out a procession from AGB colony at 9:00am, but police dispersed them.
Two lawyers were picked up by the police when the BNP-backed Ainjibi Forum brought out a procession at around 9:30am in the judge court area.
Five Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists were arrested from Shahbagh and New Market area during the strike. Shahbagh police alleged that four of them were arrested in connection with a bomb blast in the Suhrawardy Udyan at about 9:00am.
Activists of Chhatra League guarded entry points of Dhaka University at Shahbagh and Nilkhet and brought out an anti-hartal procession. Motorbike processions were also brought out on the campus several times on the day.
In Chittagong, police charged batons on BNP leaders and activist when they tried to bring out a procession in Bahadderhat crossing, witnesses said adding that three people were arrested during the incident.
The police also arrested two other BNP men while they were trying to picket in front of the Almas cinema.
Awami League activists held rallies in different areas of the port city while BCL brought out motorcycle and rickshaw processions during the hartal hours.
New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet reported that at least 15 activists of BNP and its front organisations were picked up from different areas and nearly eight others were injured in clashes between lawmen and pro-hartal activists.
New Age correspondent in Barisal reported that the police took the control of city streets and dispersed pro-BNP lawyers and protester in Barisal court and port areas and other parts of the city. Water transports plied different routes, witnesses said.
At least two rickshaws, four auto-tempos, and four buses were damaged in different parts of the city by pro-hartal pickets.
New Age correspondent in Rajshahi reported that at least 20 students were injured when JCD and BCL activists clashed with iron rods and hockey sticks on the Rajshahi University campus during the strike.
In Jessore, pickets damaged a three-wheeler and a motorcycle during the general strike.
Noakhali correspondent reported that clashes between groups supporting and opposing the general strike left at least 15 people injured in sadar and Sonaimuri upazila of the district. Of those, 10 were injured in sadar upazila and 5 in Sonaimuri.
In Gopalganj, the district unit of Awami League and its associate bodies staged protest against the hartal.
New Age correspondent at Kushtia Islamic University reported that activists of Chhatra Dal vandalised a truck in front of the main gate of the university.
Jaipurhat correspondent reported that at least 10 activists of BNP, Juba Dal and JCD were injured in a clash with activists of the AL.
New Age correspondent in Munshiganj reported that no ferries plied Mawa-Kaorakandi route at Mawa point under Louhajang upazila in Munshiganj.
Our correspondent in Narsingdi reported that at least 50 people, including former lawmaker Khairul Kabir Khokan, were injured when police charged batons and fired rubber bullets on a pro-hortal procession in Tarua crossing in the town.
Report from Nilphamari said three people were arrested in the Gaachh Bari area of the municipality during chase and counter-chase between police and pickets on the day.
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