The sixth day of the BNP-led combine's indefinite blockade witnessed sporadic violence in several districts, arson, sabotage, vandalism and torching of vehicles. One person was run over and killed by a truck in Gaibandha as he tried to escape the flames inside the bus he was travelling on in Gaibandha. Alleged pickets had hurled a petrol bomb inside the bus. Another person injured in blockade vi
olence earlier died of his wounds yesterday. The railway, which was brought down to its knees with attacks and acts of sabotage, continued to be on the receiving end of blockaders' wrath. Police recovered three bombs at two courtrooms in the High Court yesterday. At least 20 vehicles were torched; three of them in Dhaka, according to fire service and police officials. Amid the non-stop blockade, pro-BNP student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal yesterday called a daylong hartal in Dhaka district, excluding the city, and Narayanganj, Gazipur, Tangail, Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Netrakona, said a press release of Chhatra Dal. Advertisement In Gobindaganj of Gaibandha, criminals hurled a petrol bomb at a bus heading for Dhaka from Rangpur late at night. Two people sustained burn injuries. Parvez, 25, tried to escape the flames jumping out of the window but was crushed under the wheels of a truck. He died on the spot, police said. Yesterday, bus helper Murad Mollah, 20, who suffered burn injuries as alleged blockaders set fire to his vehicle in Jessore on January 6, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. In Bogra, two trains narrowly escaped accidents after saboteurs removed a large section of rails in Chaitantola in Bogra town around 3:00am. Blockade supporters backed by BNP-led 20-party alliance used gas cutters and removed about 520 clips holding the rails to the sleepers last night, ATM Afzal Hossain, sub-divisional engineer of Bangladesh Railway in Bogra claimed. "A team of Government Railway Police went to the spot and fixed the lines," he said, adding that the rail communication resumed after five hours of effort. A bus burns on Rokeya Sarani at Sheorapara in the capital yesterday after alleged supporters of the BNP-led 20-party alliance's nationwide indefinite blockade set it on fire. Over 125 vehicles have been torched since January 5. Photo: Collected “The Eight Down train was due in 10 minutes when we noticed the sabotage around 3:00am. The Karotoa Express was due in a short while too,” said Bimol Kumar, a sub-inspector of Bogra GRP. This was the fourth incident of sabotage on railway since Thursday. At a press conference yesterday, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque said his ministry would keep the train service on despite the destructive activities. Two trucks in Sherpur upazila and a car at Silimpur area of Bogra town were torched. Meanwhile, Bogra district unit of BNP extended the ongoing hartal to 48 hours. In Barisal, two policemen, including the assistant superintendent of police of Barisal Sadar Circle, were injured in an attack on their vehicle by pickets in Rahamatpur area under Babuganj upazila on Barisal-Dhaka highway early yesterday. ASP Sudipta Sarkar said he along with constable Sontu and driver Mohsin were on patrol duty on the highway when they were informed that blockaders were trying to block a road at Rahamatpur bridge around 1:00am. "When we reached the spot, the pickets started throwing brick chunks at our vehicle, leaving me and the driver injured," he said. In Lalmonirhat, pro-hartal activists vandalised seven motorcycles and torched another in Mahendranagar and Sakoya areas. In Habiganj, at least 20 people including three policemen were injured in a clash between cops and BNP activists in Poddarbari area of the sadar upazila. Criminals torched two buses at Dairy Gate of Jahangirnagar University and in Sutipara of Dhamrai yesterday. Law enforcers rounded up 49 BNP-Jamaat activists in Benapole, 39 in Satkhira, 24 in Chittagong and 11 in Chandpur. In Dhaka, four crude bombs were hurled at BNP leader Khandakar Mahbub Hossain's Malibagh home, BNP sources said. Police, however, said they did not hear anything about it. Criminals also shot four bullets at the Gulshan home of BNP leader Abdul Moin Khan around 10:25pm yesterday. A people carrier was torched in Kamalapur area in the capital around 7:00pm. The driver of the vehicle Selim, 35, suffered 34 percent burns and was being treated at the burn unit of DMCH.
No comments:
Post a Comment