The opposition 18-party alliance, its component BNP, and BNP’s student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) have called hartals in five districts for Saturday and Sunday.
The districts are Chapainawabganj, Sirajganj, Khulna, Jamalpur and Rangamati.
The BNP-led 18-party will enforce a daylong hartal in Chapainawabganj on Sunday protesting the killings of its three activists in a fierce clash in Shibganj upazila.
Three people were killed and over 35 suffered bullet wounds in the clash between Jamaat-Shibir men and joint force at Shyampur village in Shibganj upazila early Friday.
Witnesses said local Jamaat-Shibir men chased a team of joint force comprising police, Rab and BGB members and encircled them when they went to the village at about 3 am to arrest some accused.
At one stage, the law enforcers opened fire on the villagers, killing the three people on the spot and over 35 others injured with bullets.
The opposition alliance on Friday called a half-day hartal in Sirajganj for Sunday protesting the killings of its two activists in a triangular clash.
Two people were killed and 45 others, including two journalists and three policemen, injured in the clash involving BNP-Jamaat and Awami League activists and police at Kalyanpur Bazar village in Belkuchi upazila in the morning.
Of the injured, nine sustained bullet wounds.
Witnesses said the activists of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir tried to snatch Jamaat leader Habibur Rahman, an accused in a vandalism and arson case, from the custody of police at Kalyanpur Bazar when the law enforcers were taking him to the police station after arresting him from Mabupur village around 10:30am, triggering a clash.
Soon the ruling party men joined the clash, triggering a chase and counter-chase.
At one stage, police fired 143 teargas shells, 25 bullets and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, leaving 47 people injured, including nine with bullets.
Of the bullet-hit victims, Faridul and Yunus succumbed to their injuries on the way to Ullapara Upazila Health Complex.
Later in the evening, the opposition alliance called the 6am-2pm shutdown for Sunday protesting the killing of its activists,
In Khulna, local BNP will enforce a daylong hartal in the district on Sunday protesting the killing of its two activists.
Advocate Shafiul Alam Mona, general secretary of district BNP, announced the shutdown programme in the evening.
A local Jubo Dal leader who was severely beaten allegedly by Awami League activists during the 18-party hartal in Dumuria upazila on Thursday died in police custody early Friday.
Party sources said activists of the ruling party beat Sumon mercilessly during a procession brought out by the youth front of BNP in Dumuria upazila headquarters in support of the 36-hour hartal enforced by the 18-party opposition alliance on the second day of the shutdown, and handed him over to police.
While in police custody, he started vomiting and police sent him to Khulna Medical College Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries while being moved to Dhaka at about 2 am on Friday.
Besides, union BNP leader Mohammad Bulu Mollah, 50, was chopped to death by miscreants in Terokhada upazila on Wednesday.
BNP will enforce a half-day hartal in Jamalpur on Saturday protesting the death of a party man in a clash with cops in Sarishabari upazila on March 26.
The 6am-2pm shutdown is also meant for registering protest against vandalising and torching of a BNP office by Awami League men, police firing, and demand for withdrawing ‘false’ cases filed against the party men.
Belal Hossain, a BNP supporter and a trader of local Aramnagar Bazar, was shot dead and 25 people were injured in a triangular clash among police, Awami League and BNP activists in Sarishabari upazila headquarters on March 26.
In Rangamati, JCD on Friday called a half-day hartal in the district for Saturday protesting the attack on the party men allegedly by Bangladesh Chhatra League during hartal on Thursday.
District JCD general secretary Jahangir Alam announced the shutdown from a press conference held at the district BNP office around noon.
Source: UNBConnect
