Oppositions 144-hour blockade continues amid violence: 2 Dead (Video)
The fifth day of the countrywide 144-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, and a dawn-to-dusk hartal enforced by the Jamaat-e-Islami is going on amid violence today (Wednesday), leaving 2 people dead in Sirajganj and Shatkhira.
Jamaat-e-Islalmi called another countrywide hartal in the week for Wednesday protesting the move to execute its assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war.
Akhtar Hossain, 50, a poultry trader of Santhia upazila of Pabna district, was killed and five others were injured as a truck, after being chased by pickets, overturned at Madhya Bhadraghat village in Kamarkhand upazila of Sirajganj district early Wednesday.
An activist of ruling Awami League was beaten to death by enraged Jamaat-Shibir activists at Boladanga village at Sadar upazila of the district on Wednesday morning. The deceased was identified as Abdul Hamid, 40, son of Fazar Ali an Awami League activist from Boladanga village of Sadar upazila.
At least five people were killed at Sirajganj, Shatkhira, Feni town and Gazipur Sadar in separate incidents from Tuesday night after the Quader Mollah's execution news.
Incidents of violence were also reported from different districts, including Bagerhat, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Khulna, Rajshahi, Comilla, Natore and Narail.
Dhaka
In the capital, the blockade was marked by clashes between police and the blockaders, and explosions of crude bombs at different parts of the city, including Khilgaon, Jatrabari, Karwan Bazar and Judge Court areas.
Jatrabari
ctivists of Jamaat-Shibir brought out a procession in Shanir Akhra area of Jatrabari around 8:25am in support the blockade and the hartal and locked in a clash with police after being obstructed.
During the clash, police fired rubber bullets, lobbed teargas canisters and charged baton to disperse the unruly activists who retaliated by blasting 30-40 crude bombs creating a panicky situation in the area.
Old Dhaka
Activists of Chhatra Shibir clashed with police in front of Judge Court at old Dhaka on Wednesday morning.
Shibir claimed that their five activists sustained bullet injuries in police firing but police denied the allegation.
Sources said that Jagannath University's Shibir activists brought out a procession at around 8:45am and exploded three cocktails.
Kotwali Thana Office-in-charge Shah Alam told that from on a sudden procession, Shibir activists exploded cocktails.
Badda
Capital's Badda area turned into a battle ground as the leaders and activists of Chhatra Shibir locked into sporadic chase and counter chases with law enforcers on Wednesday morning.
Khilgaon
Around 9:5am, blockaders and pickets set a parked bus ablaze at Taltala of Khilgaon.
Karwan Bazar
On the other hand, blockaders blasted 3-4 crude bombs in Karwan Bazar area around 7:15am. However, no body was injured in the blasts.
Narail
At least 15 policemen including an officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station were stabbed by the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, in Narail town this morning.
Condition of Muktar Hossain, officer-in-charge (investigation) of the police station, is said be critical. He was undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College and Hospital (KMCH).
The activists also torched a police pick-up van during the clash, said SM Nuruzzaman, additional superintendent of police.
The police personnel came under the attack when Jamaat is observing a dawn-to-dusk hartal across the country for the three consecutive day today protesting a move to execute its leader Abdul Quader Mollah.
According to the additional SP, over 100 Jamaat-Shibir men equipped with lethal weapons brought out a procession and blocked Narail-Magura road at Dumurtola in Narail municipality area around 8:00am. Being informed, a team of police rushed to the spot by a pick-up van.
As the law enforcers got off the van, the activists dividing into four groups attacked them with sharp weapons and set the vehicle on fire, the police official said. The van was burnt completely before fire fighters rushed to the spot and doused the flame.
Police shot over 100 bullets to disperse the marauding Jamaat-Shibir men, Nuruzzaman said. The injured police personnel were rushed to Narail Sadar Hospital from where the OC was shifted to KMCH for better treatment.
Rajshahi
The activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Chhatra Shibir went on a rampage at Monichattar in city's Sonadighir More area on Wednesday morning.
Some 50 activists of Jamaat-Shibir brought out a brisk procession at Monichattar area, vandalised some shops and set fire on the street around 10:30am. They also put barricade on the intersection to interrupt the traffic.
Boalia police station OC Ziaur Rahman Zia said: "After being informed, police rushed in and fired rubber bullets to disperse the unruly Jamaat-Shibir men. They hurled one crude bomb on the law enforcers and fled the scene immediately.
Police is conducting drive in the area to catch the vandals," he added. No news of injury and detention was filed till writing the report around 11am.
Khulna
At least 20 people were injured when opposition supporters locked in clashes with law enforcers in Khulna city on Wednesday morning.
The incident took place during a nationwide blockade of the 18-party alliance and ahead of the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla. Witnesses said supporters of Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir brought out a procession near women's sports complex at Sonadanga around 7am.
Police fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to dispel the stone-pelting blockade supporters. At least 20 were injured at the scene which was virtually a battlefield. Sonadanga police Assistant Commissioner Jobayer Hossain said law enforcers fired 102 short gun rounds and lobbed three teargas shells.
Bagerhat
Miscreants torched a local Awami League office and six shops in Srighat area of Sadar upazila early Wednesday.
Sylhet
Activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir torched two police vehicles in the city on Wednesday morning during the third straight daylong hartal enforced by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Witnesses said the Shibir activists brought out a procession at Darshan Deuri in the city around 8am in support of the Jamaat-enforced shutdown protesting the government move to execute party assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah. They vandalised several vehicles from the procession in the area.
On information, police rushed in and dispersed the Shibir activists by firing a sound grenade and five rounds of shotgun bullets. While fleeing, the unruly activists set fire to a leguna and an auto tempo of the law enforcers in front of Ambarkhana Petrol Pump.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat-Shibir activists staged demonstrations on Sylhet-Sunamganj road by placing logs on a stretch of five-km area from Balaura to Lamakazi.
Background
Meanwhile, the opposition combine enforced 202 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in two spells -– 71-hour and 131-hour ones — after the announcement of the election schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections that left at least 45 people dead.
Watch the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qpP8GSdIVSk
On November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next.
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