At least 7 including a boy killed, more than 100 vehicles torched; public, private properties continue to be attacked
Cars go up in flames near AGB colony in the capital after Jamaat-Shibir men, aggrieved by the execution of war criminal Quader Mollah, went wild after Juma prayers yesterday and torched several vehicles and roadside shops. Photo: Rashed Shumon
Rowdy Jamaat-Shibir men went on a rampage in the capital and 21 other districts yesterday, protesting Thursday’s execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah, who was a top Jamaat leader.
The violence left at least seven people dead and more than 100 vehicles as well as offices, factories and houses burnt across the country.
Two deaths were reported from Satkhira and Noakhali each and one each from Pirojpur, Jessore and Joypurhat.
Protesters blocked 15km stretch on the Dhaka-Bogra highway, 10km on the Dhaka-Pabna and Jessore-Bagharpara highways by felling trees and digging roads. They also uprooted several plates of a steel bridge on Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway halting traffic for several hours, report our district correspondents.
Rail communications between Khulna and rest of the country remained suspended for 17 hours as Jamaat-Shibir men put barricades at Shingia Railway Station in Jessore.
Unruly activists hurled petrol bombs at the control room of Joydevpur Railway Junction, gutting computers, eight telephone sets and digital signalling appliances.
Nine passengers were injured in the incident.
Rampaging Jamaat-Shibir men torch several motorbikes after Juma prayers yesterday leaving many traumatised. Photo: Anisur Rahman
In the capital, traffic was thin though it was not a hartal day. Many people remained indoors fearing violence.
Soon after the Juma prayers, the Jamaat-Shibir men unleashed a rein of terror in Motijheel AGB colony kitchen market, torching four private cars and seven motorcycles.
At least 11 people, including an 11-year-old boy, were bullet hit as police fired rubber bullets to disperse the attackers, witnesses said.
More than 500 Jamaat-Shibir men reached the spot soon after a pickup laden with crude bombs and sticks came there around 1:40pm, locals said.
They then took crude bombs from the pickup van and started exploding those indiscriminately on the road, leaving locals and examinees of Motijheel Ideal School and College in panic, witnesses said.
In Bogra, Jamaat-Shibir men attacked the office of the executive engineer of roads and highways at Nishindjhar and vandalised and torched papers and other office materials on fire, police said.
Another group set fire to the Navy Company office of Akij Group and its 72 vehicles, including nine covered vans, 32 three-wheelers, four private cars, nine motorbikes and 27 mini vans.
Fire fighters controlled the blaze after an hour.
Company officials said the fire damaged goods worth Tk 5 crore to the fire.
Jamaat-Shibir men blockaded Shajahanpur to Noymail area and Mokamtola to Mohastan of Rangpur-Dhaka highway and Bogra-Noagaon roads by felling logs from Thursday afternoon.
They carried out vandalism and arson attacks yesterday at Fotkir bridge on Bogra-Dhaka highway under Shajahanpur upazila, snapping road communications in 10 northern districts.
They also torched four goods-laden trucks at Fotkir bridge area.
Rampaging Jamaat-Shibir men torch goods in a pushcart of a street vendor in Fakirerpool after Juma prayers yesterday leaving many traumatised. Photo: Rashed Shumon
They damaged at least 27 trucks grounded at different filling stations in the district and torched two shops of a local Awami League leader at Doshmail area, locals said.
Afzal Hossain, senior sub-assistant engineer of Railway, said miscreants dug a three-foot hole under the railway in Kahaloo and Panchpir station and removed 650 clips at two locations, disrupting rail communications through Shantahar-Lalmonirhat via Bogra.
The rowdy protesters vandalised a bike of a Brac official near Fotkir bridge when he going to see his ailing father in Nogaon from Sirajganj.
In Satkhira, Jamaat-Shibir activists hacked to death a local AL man in Kolaroa upazila early yesterday, while police recovered the bullet-hit body of a kindergarten student from Baladanga area in Sadar upazila hours after his abduction.
The dead are Joj Ali, 35, of Sharashkathi, and Riyad Hasan, 9, of Kuchpukur village.
Earlier, Azizur Rahman, former president of Gapinathpur ward AL, was hacked to death at his house at Gapinathpur early yesterday.
Witnesses and local AL leaders alleged Jamaat-Shibir men slit Joj Ali’s throat at 3:30am, while the family members of Riyad alleged Jamaat-Shibir men killed him as they were involved with the AL politics.
The Local Jamaat, however, refuted both the claims.
Jamaat men also vandalised, torched and looted around 50 houses and businesses belonging to Hindus and AL men in the district, witnesses said.
In addition, protesters barricaded different points on Satkhira-Jessore road between Kadamtala and Madhobkathi putting logs and trees. They also blocked different points of Patkelghata-Tala, Razrakati-Tala, Kashimnagar-Jatpur, Hajarakati-Jatpur and Shalika-Tala roads felling trees.
In Noakhali, a blockader named Khorshed Ali, 40, died of bullet injuries yesterday. He was hit when law enforcers opened fire on a group of blockaders to clear Chatkhil-Sonaimuri road at Afania in Begumganj upazila on Thursday.
Imam Uddin, a rickshaw puller, was also injured in the police firing.
Yesterday evening, a Shibir man died and five others were bullet hit in a clash with Chhatra League and Jubo League men in Sonaimuri upazila of the district. The dead is Jobair, witnesses said.
In Pirojpur, a youth was killed and at least 15 BNP-Jamaat men were injured in Zianagar upazila after an AL leader allegedly opened fire on a procession of the opposition men at Gosherhat bazar.
The dead is Sukkur Ali, 25, son of Kalaya village in the upazila.
Abdul Latif Hawlader, president of Zianagar upazila BNP, alleged Pattashi union AL president Tobarek Ali Hawlader fired five shots from his house when a procession was going through the area, around 11:30pm on Thursday.
Tobarek, however, denied the allegation.
In Jessore, Shibir activist Asraful Islam, 20, of Mohirun village under the upazila died as a truck being chased by the Shibir men hit a felled tree that struck him. The incident happened around 3:00am at Bolteghata on Bagharpara-Charavita road.
In Joypurhat, a freedom fighter died after he jumped out of a rickshaw being chased by Jamaat-Shibir men in Pachbibi upazila in the evening, police said.
The dead is Shamsul Alam, 62.
He was critically injured as he fell hard on the street, witnesses said.
Source: The Daily Star
