The third day of the nationwide 72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, passed off amid sporadic incidents of violence across the country today (Monday), leaving a minor boy dead in Sirajganj.
Sumon, an eight-year old boy, was killed in police firing during a clash between police and opposition activists at Buhuli Bazar in Sadar upazila in Sirajganj district.
Besides, law enforcers arrested 35 people from different places of Chuadanga, Chittagong and Sylhet districts.
According to the reports reaching the UNB news desk, at least 70 people, including eight with bullets, were injured, several crude bombs were blasted while 10 vehicles were vandalised and torched, and some 30 people were arrested across the country during the 3rd day of the protest programme.
Meanwhile, the 18-party alliance has extended their 72-hour blockade till 6am on Friday. The blockade started at 6:00am on Saturday.
BNP joint secretary general Salauddin Ahmed made the announcement through a video message sent from an undisclosed location.
Besides, a countrywide daylong hartal, enforced by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, protesting what it said the government’s plan to kill its leader Abdul Quader Mollah for political purpose, ended at 6pm today amid the blockade programme.
Meanwhile, Jamaat called another daylong countrywide shutdown for Tuesday.
In the capital, the blockade was marked by clashes between police and the blockaders, and explosions of crude bombs at different parts of the city, including Jatrabari, Nayabazar and Gulshan.
Opposition activists blasted 13 crude bombs at Madhya Badda, Jatrabari, Shanir Akhra and Mirpur-1 in the morning.
Unidentified blockaders tried to block rail line by torching tyres in Tejgaon area at about 6:15am. On information, police rushed to the spot and doused the blaze.
Police arrested a woman, Shahnur, 30, from opposite to Hotel Westin in Gulshan-2 while fleeing after hurling crude bombs in the area in the morning.
Miscreants hurled five crude bombs targeting the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in the capital at about 2:30 pm. Three of the crude bombs blasted while two others remained unexploded. However, none was hurt in the blasts.
Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning as the presence of motorised vehicles was thin.
Incidents of violence were also reported from different districts, including Pirojpur, Narayanganj, Sylhet, Gazipur, Manikganj, Gaibandha, Chuadanga, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Laxmipur, Khulna and Rangpur.
The first two days of the protest programme was also marked by incidents of violence like clashes, arson attacks, bomb blasts and vandalism in different parts of the country that left a BCL activist, Masudul Islam Masud, dead.
After the end of the 131-hour blockade programme protesting the election schedule, BNP joint secretary general Salauddin Ahmed on Thursday announced the 72-hour nationwide blockade through a video message sent from an undisclosed location.
The opposition combine earlier enforced 202 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in two spells– one of 71 hours and another of 131 hours– after the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections that left at least 45 people dead.
On November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next.
Source: UNB Connect
