Sporadic clashes mark hartal in districts
Sporadic clashes marked BNP-enforced hartal in districts across the country yesterday.
At least 72 people, including 17 police men, were injured during clashes between cops and pickets in different districts. Police also arrested 97 people, reports our correspondent.
BNP called the countywide general strike to protest 'forced disappearance' of the party's Organising Secretary (Sylhet division) and former lawmaker M Ilias Ali from the capital on Tuesday night.
In Chittagong: Four cops, including an additional superintendent and an assistant superintendent, were injured during a clash between pro-hartal activists and police in Sitakunda upazila.
The incident occurred in Madambibirhat area on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at around 1:00pm. Police also arrested five pickets from the spot. They are Fayez, Manik, Russel Mohajan, Ariful Islam and Liakat Ali.
BNP men vandalised the vehicles of Additional Police Superintendent Farid Uddin Ahmad and Assistant Police Superintendent (Sitakunda circle) Iqbal Ali.
In the port city, police picked up nine pickets from Wasa intersection and Alankar on charge vandalising vehicles.
In Sylhet: At least 20 people, including seven cops, were injured during clashes between police and pickets in the city. Law enforcers picked up 25 pro-hartal activists from different points.
Police charged batons, fired at least 20 tear gas shells and blank shots to disperse the pickets in Zindabazar and Bandarbazar areas.
BNP men joined a procession led by Jamiat-e- Ulema Islam leader Maulana Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury. When the procession reached Zindabazar, pro-hartal activists started hurling brick chips at the on-duty police men who resorted to baton charge and fired tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Twenty-five people were arrested in the city during hartal hours, police said.
Police also arrested 11 pickets from Biswanath upazila and Beanibazar Juba Dal General secretary Jewel Ahmed.
In Rajshahi: Hartal supporters stabbed a police man and injured two others in the city yesterday.
When the police intercepted a procession led by Rajshahi city BNP unit President Mizanur Rahman Minu, the pickets hurled brick chips at cops, leaving two of them injured.
Police dispersed the hartal supporters, using truncheons. Minu, BNP leaders Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, Shafiqul Islam Milon and NTV cameraman Sharifuzzaman were injured in police action.
In another incident, Anisur Rahman of city special branch was allegedly stabbed by pro-hartal activists near the old city bhaban, police said.
In Barisal: Barring some stray incidents, the daylong strike in the district was peaceful.
At least 11 BNP activists arrested while they were picketing in different areas of the city, police said.
At least four rickshawas, one auto-rickshaw, one truck and one bus were damaged by hartal supporters in the city.
In Khulna : Police lobbed four teargas shells as picketers swooped on them at Tootpara Central Road under Khulna Sadar Police Station in the morning.
Two BNP activists were arrested from there. Apart from this, police also arrested picked up 12 people, including five women, from different areas while they picketing.
Normal life came to a halt due to hartal. Vehicles were off the roads and production at mills and factories remained suspended.
In Narsingdi: At least 10 BNP men were injured in a clash with police when the law enforcers intercepted a procession at Bazir intersection in the town.
The BNP activists hurled brick chips at the law enforcers during the clash that erupted at around 10:30am. Police dispersed the pro hartal men by charging batons.
In Narayanganj: At least 10 pro-hartal activists were injured when law enforcers charged batons on a BNP procession in the town at around 8:00am.
Pickets set fire to a bus near Sultana Kamal Bridge in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj around 2:00am.
In Bogra: Hartal supporters set a truck afire on the Bogra-Rangpur highway in Shibganj upazila.
Md Lutfor Rahman, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station, said criminals stopped a Dhaka-bound rice-laden truck near Pirgachha Bazar around 4:30am and set fire to it.
In Kushtia: Police arrested eight leaders and activists of BNP and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) Dal while they were picketing in Sadar and Khoksa upazilas in the morning.
In Rajbari: 12 BNP men were arrested while picketing in different parts of the district.
In Sirajganj: at least eight people, including three police personnel, were injured, in a clash between law enforcers and pickets in Sirajganj town.
The clash erupted when police chased the BNP activists who forced shop owners of Nimgachhi Market to keep their shutters down.
In Kishoreganj: Sporadic incidents marked hartal in the district. Police picked up 18 BNP men from different upazilas of the district.
In Patuakhali: Hartal supporters set fire to a police box in Patuakhali town.
They also ransacked three more vehicles in different areas of the town during hartal hours.
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