Hostage to hartal

Another round of 72-hour hartal starts tomorrow morning and it is likely to leave the SSC exam schedule in tatters, inflict further loses to businesses, and hurt the economy and the livelihoods of people.

After setting a record of enforcing strikes on every working day in a calendar month (February), the BNP-led 20-party combine announced the fresh hartal yesterday to protest "killing of opposition leaders and activists in the name of crossfire and filing false cases against alliance leaders".

The hartals left more than 14 lakh SSC examinees in trouble as further disruption to their exam schedule was almost certain. Their tests had been deferred eight times so far.

SSC and equivalent exams were held yesterday on the weekend amid a countrywide indefinite blockade which began on January 6. Even though it was peacefully held, students sitting for the tests were jittery.

"As exams are being deferred repeatedly, it has become tough to remain focused. Even two days before the exams we are not sure whether the exam will be held," said Adeeba Naz, an examinee of the capital.

"My preparation was good. If the exams were held as per schedule, I would have done better. Now I don't know what the results will be," she said.

So far six exams, out of 12, could be held since the exams started on February 2. If the exams were held on time, they would have been finished by March 10. 

The education ministry had rescheduled the exams to the weekends considering safety of the students.

Yesterday, criminals threatened to blow up a school in Rajshahi for keeping the institution open on hartal days.

Claiming themselves to be "Workforce Seeking a Movement", they sent the red colour letter to Laxmipur Girls' High School, said Officer-in-Charge Mehedi Hasan of Rajpara Police Station.

The headmaster of the school filed a general diary in this regard.

"Apparently, the letter was sent for spreading panic among parents. But we have tightened security around schools nevertheless," he said.

The mindless violence that began early January has so far claimed 78 lives, mostly in horrifying petrol and crude bomb attacks. Two more burn victims died yesterday.

Truck helper Jahangir Alam, 35, died at the intensive care unit of the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 3:00am. He had 46 percent of his body burnt in an arson attack in Bogra on January 23.

Lutfar Rahman, 30, who was a rickshaw puller by profession, died at the DMCH around 11:00am, two weeks after he had sustained injuries in a crude bomb attack on a bus in Bhairab of Kishoreganj.

The bomb had hit his head. He never regained consciousness.

Lutfar's wife Momena Begum yesterday said she did not know how she would raise her three young children as the only bread earner of the family was gone.

The blockade, which enters its 54th day today, as well as the hartals was taking a huge toll on the economy.

The transport sector, small and medium businesses as well as labourers were bearing the brunt of it.

Farmers were also one of the worst hit. Unable to ship their goods, they had to watch as their produce withered in the fields.

Pushed into a corner, people have been coming out of their homes braving the blockade and hartals to earn their living. 

Humayun Kabir, president of Bangladesh Truck Covered Van Owners Association, said drivers could get killed in petrol and crude bomb attacks on the road but they have no other way since they have to feed their families.

"The fresh spell of hartal will intensify their sufferings," he told The Daily Star.

Mohammad Ashar, who sells shoes on the pavement in Farmgate, said he has to send Tk 10,000 a month to his family in Kishoreganj but he could send only Tk 6,000 in January and Tk 5,000 in February.

Although sales have improved over the last two weeks, it was far below that of the pre-blockade period, he said.

Alamgir, who drives a human haulier on Farmgate-Mohammadpur route, said he used to earn Tk 600 to Tk 1,000 a day but now it has dropped to Tk 200 to Tk 300.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told parliament on Wednesday that the country had incurred a loss of over Tk 1,20,000 crore in the first 52 days of the BNP-Jamaat's blockade.

She said 1,173 vehicles had been torched and vandalised since the blockade began.