Long route buses were not to leave or enter into Dhaka while vehicular movement was very limited on City Street. All type of school, college, madrasha and university were closed
The countrywide indefinite road-rail-waterways blockade program, called by BNP-BJI led 18 party alliance as last ditch effort to resist the January 5 unilateral parliamentary elections, passed first day amid bomb blasts, arson, protests, killings and scores of injured on Wednesday in Bangladesh.
Long route buses were not to leave or enter into Dhaka while vehicular movement was very limited on City Street. All type of school, college, madrasha and university were closed during the blockade throughout Bangladesh.
At least 20 handmade bombs exploded at the Shahbag area, heart of the city, in Dhaka on Wednesday evening. Panic griped the people following the blasts.
Meanwhile, opposition activists protested at different areas across the country including the capital city Dhaka in support of the blockade while pro-government activists torched a covered van in Gajipur, nearest district of capital on Wednesday.
Faruk Patwary (35), local youth front leader of BNP, was killed and several blockaders were injured in firing by Boader Guard of Bangladesh (BGB), a para military force, in eastern district of Chandpur.
Several hundred opposition activists attacked a patrol team of BGB with an executive magistrate passing through Chandpur-Comilla regional highway around 5.00 p.m.
They hurled brick chunks at the BGB members and vandalized one of their vehicles. At one stage the BGB members got down from their vehicles and chased the blockaders.
However, the blockaders encircled them from three corners and threw pebbles at them. Finding no other way, the BGB member opened fire injuring several blockaders.
Badly injured Faruk was rushed to the local hospital where the doctor declared him dead. The other injured were taken to various hospitals. The district BNP General Secretary Sheikh Farid Ahmad condemned the BGB firing.
A leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) was also shot dead in clashes between opposition activists and the police in the northern district of Meherpur on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Jabber (45), local Jamaat leader and councilor of local government body in Meherpur.
The BNP-BJI led 18 party alliance has already enforced countrywide road-rail-waterways blockade for 22 days since November 26 in five spells- 71 hour, 131-hour, 144-hour, 72-hour and 83-hour ones – after the announcement of the election schedule and clashes that left about 120 people dead.
On November 25, Bangladesh Election Commission has announced that the 10th parliamentary election was scheduled for January 5. which the BNP lead 18 party alliance and most of the registered parties has boycotted
Source: World Bulletin
