A headmistress sustained sprinter injuries in a crude-bomb attack on a human hauler in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong during yesterday’s countrywide hartal.
Witnesses said pro-hartal activists had charged three homemade bombs on the vehicle in Amanbazar area around 11:30am.
Preeti Das, headmistress of Chhipatoli Govt High School, sustained several injuries on the back in the attack. She was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component of BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance had called the hartal protesting its Nayeb-e-Ameer AKM Yusuf’s arrest in connection with crimes against humanity committed in 1971.
Apart from some stray incidents of violence in some districts, yesterday’s hartal ended peacefully compared to those enforced by Jamaat in the recent days.
At least three vehicles were torched and 30 others vandalised while more than 25 homemade bombs were blasted during the 12-hour hartal that ended at 6:00pm, reports our district correspondents.
In Dhaka, miscreants hurled two cocktails — of them, one exploded — at Shahbagh intersection, near the Gonojagoron Mancha. The protesters there were preparing for a scheduled procession to resist Jamaat’s hartal.
None has been reported to be injured. Police retrieved the unexploded bomb.
Witnesses said the miscreants hurled the bombs from a bus heading towards Elephant Road.
The Shahbagh protesters, however, brought out an hour-long procession and marched up to the Kataban intersection, Ruposhi Bangla Hotel and TSC intersection before returning to the Gonojagoron Mancha area.
They once again vowed to continue their movement until all war criminals are brought to book.
Pro-hartal activists also vandalised several vehicles and blasted a few cocktails in Azimpur, and Dayaganj in Jatrabari.
The number of public and private transports on roads was much higher yesterday than that of the recent day’s hartals. Many shops and markets were also seen open in the capital.
In Chittagong, at least 20 homemade bombs were blasted, a vehicle was torched and seven other were vandalised.
In Pabna, Jamaat men vandalised two trucks and blasted two cocktails near the link road of Bangabandhu Bridge in the afternoon. Drivers of the trucks escaped the attack with minor injuries.
In Narayanganj and Rangpur, at least two vehicles were torched and 17 others vandalised.
Meanwhile, Chandpur police yesterday arrested eight activists and leaders of Jamaat-Shibir, including the district ameer of Jamaat, in connection with planning violence.
Source: The Daily Star
