The daylong nationwide hartal, enforced by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami protesting the execution of its leader Abdul Quader Mollah, was marked by violent incidents at different parts of the country on Sunday, leaving at least five people dead in Lalmonirhat and Joypurhat.
In Lalmonirhat, four people, including three Islami Chhatra Shibir men and a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist, were killed and 15 others injured, seven with bullets, as Jamaat-Shibir men clashed with cops and ruling party workers in Patgram upazila.
The deceased were identified as Monirul Islam, 25, president of Shibir Patgram upazila unit, Shibir activists Abdur Rahim, 22, and Saju Islam, and BCL functionary Mintu.
The Shibir men were killed in police firing while the BCL activist was beaten to death by the Jamaat-Shibir workers.
In Joypurhat, van puller Firoz, 35, was killed and 10 people were injured in a clash between pickets and cops at Halutti village in Sadar upazila during the countrywide daylong hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami on Sunday.
According to reports reaching the UNB news desk, at least 103 people were injured, including 30 with bullets, as hartal supporters clashed with cops and ruling party men in other parts of the country during the hartal hours.
Besides, 35 vehicles were damaged while 23 crude bombs exploded 38 people were arrested across the country.
In the capital, pickets torched a CNG-driven auto-rickshaw at Demra while exploded several crude bombs at Khejurbagan in Manik Mia Avenue in the morning.
Police arrested two Shibir men along with huge quantity of gunpowder from a house at Kalayanpur in the city.
No long-route buses left or entered the city during the hartal hours. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets.
Huge law enforcers, including Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion men, were seen guarding the city streets to avoid any untoward incident.
Train communications on Rangpur-Kurigram route remained suspended as the engine and two bogies of an inspection train derailed in the early hours after the pickets removed fishplates from the rail tracks near Annadanagar Station in Pirgachha upazila.
In Faridpur, police arrested three Shibir men along with 19 petrol bombs and six crude bombs from Shantibagh area in the town.
Incidents of violence were also reported from Jhalakati, Satkhira, Narayanganj, Moulvibazar, Sirajganj, Sylhet, Bhola, Chittagong, Kushtia, Chapainawabganj, Comilla, Meherpur, Rajshahi, Chuadanga, Sunamganj, Pabna and Bogra.
Jamaat acting ameer Maqbul Ahmad on Thursday announced the shutdown programme in a statement after the execution of Quader Mollah on Thursday night.
Condemned 1971 war criminal Jamaat assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah, known as Koshai (butcher) Quader in 1971, was hanged at Dhaka Central Jail at 10:01 pm on Thursday for the crimes he committed against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
Meanwhile, at least 12 people, including three ruling-party activists and nine others of BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, were killed and over a hundred others injured in violence in Noakhali, Nilphamari and Laxmipur districts on Saturday as Jamaat activists went berserk in protest against Quader Mollah’s execution.
Earlier, on Friday, at least seven people were killed as Jamaat-Shibir men went on a rampage in different parts of the country.
Source: UNBConnect
