Violence, arson escalate as blockade continues:Daily Sun

Miscreants set fire to a bus in the capital’s Shahbagh area on Saturday evening during the non-stop countrywide blockade enforced by BNP and its allies. sun photo Violence and arson attacks on vehicles escalated as the countrywide blockade called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance continued for the fifth day on Saturday. Blockaders clashed with law-enforcers, removed railway fishplates, vandalised a
nd torched a good many vehicles in the capital and different parts of the country. In the capital, blockade supporters torched at least seven buses. They also hurled a petrol bomb at a bus and exploded crude bombs targeting BTV office and Awami League central office on Bangabandhu Avenue. A passenger bus was set on fire near Shahbagh intersection at around 6:00pm. The bus came under attack while it was heading for Joydebpur from Motijheel, police said. On information, a team of firefighters rushed in and doused the flame. None, however, was injured in the arson attack. Pro-blockade activists hurled a petrol bomb at a passenger bus in the capital’s Farmgate area in the morning, leaving one person seriously injured. The injured was identified as rickshaw-puller Amol Barmon, 45, hailing from Panchagarh. He is undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). “Amol is residing in Narayanganj. He along with five other fellow rickshaw-pullers got on a bus at Gabtoli to go to village home,” a hospital source said quoting the victim. When the bus reached in front of Tejgaon Mohila College at around 7:30am, some miscreants riding on a bike, hurled a petrol bomb at the vehicle, the source added. Amol received 12 percent burn injuries on his body, said on-duty doctor of the hospital. Blockaders exploded a crude bomb targeting Bangladesh Television (BTV) office at around 1:45pm. Three buses were torched in the capital’s Khilgaon, Malibagh Chowdhuripara and Jatrabari areas at around 7:00pm. Witnesses said that a group of youths hurled crude bombs at the state-owned television channel’s head office and then immediately left the scene. Blockaders also exploded at least three crude bombs at ruling Awami League’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue around 3:00pm. On information, police rushed to the spot and detained a person in this connection. Bangladesh Railway authorities on Saturday cancelled the departure schedule of Mohanagar Godhuli from Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka. The authorities also cancelled the schedule of Mohanagar Probhati from Chittagong to Dhaka. Kamalapur Railway Station Master Sakhawat Hossain said, “Mohanagar Probhati could not reach Dhaka as blockaders removed fishplates of railway track at Nangalkot of Comilla around 4:45am.” A compartment and an engine of a Chittagong-bound train from Dhaka derailed at Nangalkot Station of the district at 6:30am due to removal of fishplates of the railway track. Rail communication on the Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet routes came to a halt following the derailment. A railway engineer, however, expressed the hope that rail service on the route will become normal soon as a rescue train from Laksham has already started work. A cargo train remained stranded at Comilla Railway Station due to the derailment. At least three people received burn injuries when a gang of miscreants set fire to a private car and a passenger bus in the city on Friday midnight. The injured Abul Kalam, 26, driver of the car, and Mizanur Rahman, 30, and Abdul Gafur 32, passengers of the bus, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Kalam received 30 percent burn injuries on his body while Mizanur sustained critical injuries on legs and hands and Gafur on his two legs and one hand, DMCH burn unit sources said. Injured Kalam said that a group of miscreants hurled three petrol bombs at the private car which was parked in front of Agora in city’s Mogbazar area around 11:00pm. 00pm. A running bus was set ablaze allegedly by blockaders in Mohammadpur Beribandh area at night, leaving two passengers injured. In Sirajganj: At least 10 people were injured when activists of BNP clashed with police in the district town in the morning. The clash took place at around 11:00am when police intercepted BNP activists while bringing out a procession at Dhanbandhi of the district town, local sources said. BNP men threw brick chips and exploded crude bombs targeting police triggering the clash. Police fired rubber bullets and tea gas shells to bring the satiation under control. In Gaibandha, blockaders vandalised around 50 vehicles, mostly goods-laden trucks on Dhaka-Rangpur highway near Palashbari from Friday midnight to on Saturday noon. Besides, they also set fire to a goods-laden truck near Gobindaganj.