At least 58 people were injured in sporadic clashes between pickets and police in different districts across the country on Tuesday.
The activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance torched and vandalised around 50 vehicles and police detained 170 pickets at different districts.
NARAYANGANJ
Police picked up at least 16 Jamaat-Shibir men, including Narayanganj district BNP General Secretary ATM Kamal from a procession in Chashara area of the city.
Police and witnesses said BNP leaders and activists also brought a procession at Golachipa in the city and police barred them.
Facing resistance, the angry BNP men vandalised several vehicles on the spot. Later, police detained Kamal from the spot.
Police also detained Fatullah Swechhasebak Dal President Md Shamim, three Jamaat and seven Shibir activists in the morning.
Besides, BNP men set fire to a bus and two trucks at Kanchon area of Rupganj upazila in the morning.
Sheikh Nazmul Alam, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Narayanganj, said they detained 16 BNP-Jamaat-Shibir men on charges of vandalism during the hartal hours.
CHITTAGONG
Pickets torched a bus at Chandgaon in the city around 9:45am.
Later, Abu Sufian, BNP vice-president of the city unit, was picked up by police from Bohoddarhat, claimed Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, the president of the unit.
Five pickets were also held at Sagarika intersection of the port city.
The pro-hartal activists also fire to a bus near Boropool at Halishahar around 11:45pm. Md Hassan, the driver of the bus, sustained burn injuries during the incident.
He was rushed to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner (west zone) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said on information, police rushed to the spot and picked up 20 pickets on charge of setting fire to the bus.
RAJSHAHI
At least 10 people including a police officer were injured during a clash between the hartal supporters and law enforcers in Charghat upazila around 9:30am.
Injured Ziaul Haque, OC of Charghat Police Station, was rushed to the local upazila health complex.
Besides, police lobbed several rounds of teargas canisters during chases and counter chases between the pro-hartal activists and police at Binodpur, Kazla and Kashianidanga intersection in the city.
The law enforcers also fired several shots in the air to disperse the pickets in Binodpur.
BNP activists led by its Rajshahi city unit President Mizanur Rahman Minu brought out a procession at Sopura in the city around 7:00am but police dispersed them by lobbing teargas shells.
The hartal supporters vandalised two vehicles at Binodpur around 2:00am.
KHULNA
Pro-hartal activists vandalised several vehicles at different places in the city including Khalishpur.
Pickets threw at least three cocktails targeting a police van at the CPI intersection at around 8:15am. No injury was reported in the attack.
Some 15 people were injured as chases and counter-chases took place between police and pickets in these areas in the morning hour.
In Khalishpur eight vehicles including battery-run three-wheelers and trucks were vandalised.
Meanwhile, law enforcers arrested 20 people including Khulna district BNP General Secretary advocate Shafiqul Alam Mona.
RANGPUR
Police detained two Jamaat-Shibir activists — Abdullah Morsalin, 24, and Anwarul Islam, 30, — on charge of vandalising vehicles at Dharmadash area in Rangpur city during the daylong hartal.
Altaf Hossain, OC of Rangpur Kotwali Police Station, said the two were picked up from the spot after they had vandalised the vehicles on the city road.
LALMONIRHAT
Five people including two policemen were injured when the pro hartal activists and police locked in sporadic clashes at Mission Road and Mahendranagar areas of Lalmonirhat town Tuesday morning.
The law enforcers chased and fired several rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells when the pro-hartal activists came with a procession at Mission Road area.
In Mahendranagar, the hartal supporters vandalised two buses.
Police fired 17 canisters of tear shells and four rounds of rubber bullets at the pro-hartal activists. They also detained seven pickets from the spot.
PABNA
A driver of a freight train was injured when pro-hartal activists attacked on his train in Ishwardi Rail Crossing on Tuesday.
Sujit Kumar, Railway Divisional Traffic Officer (West Zone), said Banat Ali, the driver of Parbatipur-bound container train sustained minor injuries when around 20 to 30 BNP-Jamaat men pelted brick chips the container train.
Meanwhile, several hundred pro-hartal activists blocked the railway track near Ishwardi Bypass Railways Station for nearly one and a half hours snapping rail communications on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Parbatipur routes.
The rail communications, however, resumed at 9:00am after police rushed to the spot and dispersed the demonstrators.
NARSINGDI
Police picked up 15 people including town BNP President Golam Kabir Kamal when they brought out a procession at Bamundi intersection around 8:45am.
FENI
Pickets set fire to a covered van on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mohammad Ali Bazar in Sadar upazila around 4:00am.
At least four cocktails were exploded at Mohipal near the town on the highway in the morning.
MYMENSINGH
At least 10 pickets were detained in Mymensingh town and Bhaluka upazila.
Motaleb Mia, officer-in-charge of Bhaluka Police Station, said seven pro-hartal activists were held on charge of vandalising a police van during the hartal hours.
Abu Fazlul Karim, OC of Kotwali Police Station, confirmed detention of three more pickets.
BOGRA
At least 10 activists of Jubo Dal and Jubo League were injured during a hour-long clash around noon at Satmatha in Bogra town.
Three cocktails were blasted in front of Bogra Sadar Police Station at 8:30am.
Pickets vandalised and torched several vehicles tat Nawdapara, Puran Bogra, Tinmatha intersection and Charmatha bus terminal of the city.
Police detained two pickets at Charmatha in the morning.
BAGERHAT
Police detained four Jamaat men including its district unit president Ajmol Hossain in Adalat area on Bagerhat-Khulna highway around 7:00am suspecting that they could carry out vandalism.
In the morning, pickets vandalised three motorcycles in Dema area.
CHAPAINAWABGANJ
Police detained a BNP activist while picketing at Bishwa Road intersection in the morning, said Ariful Haque, additional superintendent of police.
Twenty-five activists of 18-party alliance were picked up at Shibganj, Bholahat, Gomostapur, Nachole and Sadar upazilas of Chapainawabganj from Monday night, the ASP said.
SIRAJGANJ
At least five people were injured in a clash between 18-party activists and police at Rahmatganj in Sadar upazila. Police fired five rubber bullets to disperse the pickets.
The pro-hartal activists vandalised around 15 public vehicles on Western Approach Highway of the Bangabandhu Bridge and two trucks at Mirpur.
Besides, the law enforcers in an overnight raid arrested 29 BNP and Jamaat workers from different parts on change of vandalism during the 18-party alliance’s road blockade on Sunday.
CHANDPUR
At least 10 people were injured in Chandpur as pro-hartal activists clashed with police in different parts of the district.
Police picked up 13 people at Chandpur town while seven more at other parts of the district.
The opposition supporters vandalised seven vehicles and torched tyres in the town.
Source: The Daily Star
