The first day of the countrywide nonstop blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance as its last-ditch effort to resist the January 5 ‘one-sided’ parliamentary polls, passed off peacefully barring some stray incidents of violence that left a Jubo Dal man dead in Chandpur on Wednesday.
Faruk Patwary, 35, was killed and several other blockaders were injured in firing by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members in Sadar upazila of Chandpur in the evening.
In the capital, eight crude bombs were exploded at Matsya Bhaban crossing and Shahbagh intersection in the evening.
Except this, no picketing in support of the blockade was seen in the city.
Vehicular movement on the city streets was almost normal. Huge law enforcers remained on guard on the city streets to thwart any trouble.
In Gazipur, pro-blockade activists torched a covered van near Rajendrapur Railway Station in Sreepur upazila in the morning.
In Sylhet, 18-party activists brought out processions in different parts of the city in support of the blockade programme.
In Bhola, 10 Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists were injured in a clash with the law enforcers near Kalinath Rai Bazar in the town.
According to reports reaching the UNB news desk, law enforcers arrested around 100 opposition activists in Joypurhat, Noakhali, Satkhira, Khulna, Chapainawabganj, Sylhet, Khulna and Dinajpur districts.
BNP chairperson’s adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain at a press conference on Monday announced the programme that would continue until further announcement.
Meanwhile, a 36-hour hartal, enforced at 6am on Wednesday by local unit of the 18-party opposition alliance protesting the ‘confinement’ of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, is progressing peacefully in Bogra district alongside the non-stop blockade programme.
The opposition alliance has been on nonstop agitation programmes since the Election Commission announced the election schedule on November 25 fixing the balloting date for January 5.
They want the government to cancel the election schedule clearing the way for holding the 10th parliamentary polls with participation of all the parties under a non-party administration.
The 18-party has already enforced countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade for 22 days (501 hours) since November 26 in five spells –71-hour, 131-hour, 144-hour and 72-hour and 83-hour ones — after the announcement of the election schedule that left at least 120 people dead.
Source: UNBConnect
