Jamaat-Shibir activists yesterday hurled handmade bombs at police and carried out arson and vandalism at different places in the country on the eve of their two-day countrywide hartal beginning today.
Police arrested around 50 Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists from across the country on charges of creating pre-hartal violence.
Meanwhile, Gonojagoron Mancha announced that it would bring out an anti-hartal procession from Shahbagh at 11:00am today, said a press release.
Yesterday morning, a policeman was injured as Shibir activists hurled bombs targeting law enforcers on SS Road in Sirajganj town.
Panjab Ali, the wounded police constable, was rushed to Sirajganj Police Line Hospital. Two Shibir men were detained from the spot.
Law enforcers arrested a Shibir activist, Mohiuddin, 29, from a procession at Fakirapool in the capital. A mobile court awarded him six months’ imprisonment, said Motijheel police.
Pro-hartal activists set fire to a microbus on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Sanarpar bus stand in Narayanganj last night.
In the afternoon, a chase and counter-chase took place between police and pro-hartal activists near Mirpur Benarasi Palli in the capital.
Police fired 10 shotgun shells to disperse them and arrested five activists, said Abdul Latif Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station.
Law enforcers foiled several processions of Jamaat-Shibir men in Moghbazar and Lalbagh areas in the capital yesterday morning.
Police arrested five Jamaat-Shibir men after they hurled handmade bombs at law enforcers from a procession in Chittagong, said Shahjahan Kabir, officer-in-charge of Halishahar Police Station.
Minhaz, one of the arrestees, sustained splinter injuries and was admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, he said.
In the morning, police foiled a procession of around 50 Jamaat-Shibir men at Padua Bazar in Lohagara upazila of the district, said Md Shahjahan, OC of Lohagara Police Station.
In Patuakhali, police arrested advocate Nazmul Ahsan, joint secretary of Patuakhali district unit of Jamaat. Cox’s Bazaar police arrested Jamaat leader Zafar Ullah Islamabadi.
In Bandarban, two upazila unit Jamaat leaders were arrested from Nykhongchhari.
In Rangpur, police arrested 22 leaders and activists of Shibir and seized a pick-up van carrying them from Mithapukur upazila.
Law enforcers arrested 22 Jamaat leaders and activists from Chouddagram and Daudkandi upazilas in Comilla.
Eid holidaymakers suffered a lot as many had to hastily return to Dhaka while others had to postpone their return trips.
“I had worked on the Eid day and wanted to go to my hometown in Pabna on the next day,” said Kahalilur Rahman, a rickshaw-puller.
“But I had to postpone my plan as I would not be able to return to Dhaka from my hometown due to the hartal,” he added.
Raihan-Bin-Shafiq, a banker who arrived in the capital yesterday evening, said he had to return before the expiry of his leave because of the shutdowns.
To tackle pre-hartal violence, plainclothes cops were deployed in the capital, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam.
During the two-day hartal hours, mobile courts would continue to patrol city roads and punish pickets for their subversive activities, he added.
Habibur Rahman, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, told The Daily Star that Rab would act as a helping hand of police and strengthen vigilance across the country during hartal hours.
Mohsin Reza, public relations officer of Border Guard Bangladesh, told The Daily Star that BGB forces were deployed in Dhaka at 8:00pm yesterday to maintain law and order.
Jamaat-e-Islami called the 48-hour shutdown protesting a High Court verdict that declared illegal the party’s registration with the Election Commission.
