BNP enforced hartal passes off peacefully in Natore
BNP men block traffic by burning tyres on a road in Alaipur area of Natore town during hartal yesterday. BNP district unit enforced the daylong shutdown protesting arrest of party's central leader and former deputy minister Ruhul Kuddus Dulu at his residence in the town early Sunday.Photo: STAR
A dawn-to-dusk hartal enforced by district unit of BNP, protesting the arrest of the party's central leader Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu, passed off almost peacefully in the district yesterday. Dulu, also a former deputy minister, was arrested by police from his residence in the town early Sunday. All educational institutions, shops and business establishments remained closed during the shutdown. However, most offices were open but attendance was thin. All modes of vehicles, except for a handful of rickshaws, remained off the streets. Pickets exploded two cocktails at Alaipur in the town but none was injured. They also vandalised two motorbikes there and another at Station Bazar. At around 11:15am, the 18-party alliance brought out procession, led by general secretary of BNP district unit Aminul Haque, which paraded the town. Additional police remain deployed at the strategic points of the town. Dulu was arrested for his alleged involvement in a gunfight and cocktail explosion in front of Alaipur BNP office on Saturday night. The incident left Farhad Ali Dewan Shaheen, activist of Swechchhasebok Dal, and Polash, activist of Jubo League, injured. Polash is now undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. In Sirajganj, a half-day hartal was enforced in the district town by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday, reports our correspondent. The hartal was called to protest the killing of Jamaat leader Wares Ali during the Sunday's roadblock by 18-party alliance. The programme passed off peacefully and life was almost normal in the town. Most shops were closed but offices remained open. People did not come out of houses due to dense fog and cold. Rickshaws were available but bus services in internal routes remained stopped. In Belkuchi, police foiled a procession of Jamaat activists in the upazila headquarters in the morning. No untoward incident occurred during the shutdown. Wares Ali, treasurer of the upazila unit of Jamaat, was killed during clash with BCL activists at Enayetpur Bazar on Sunday.
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