The first day of fresh 83-hour nationwide road-rail-waterway blockade, enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance demanding arrangement of the 10th general election under a non-party caretaker government, passed off amid stray incidents of violence on Saturday.
The blockade programme started at 6:00am on Saturday and it will continue until 5:00pm on Tuesday.
In the capital, blockaders set a covered-van on fire in Bhanga Press area under Demra thana around 8:50am.
Besides, there were reports of several crude bomb blasts in Link Road area of Maidhya Badda and Motijheel areas in the morning. However, nobody was injured in the incidents.
Vehicular movement on the city streets was almost normal as law enforcers took position at important points to fend off any untoward incident.
Incidents of bomb blasts, vandalism and arson were reported from different districts, including Kishoreganj, Bogra, Rajshahi, Gaibandha and Laxmipur.
Meanwhile, movement of long-route vehicles on different highways was larger than other blockade days as the government ensured police protection for smooth movement of vehicles.
In Rajshahi, a wrist of a minor boy got blown off as a crude bomb exploded in his hand at Ward-15 Awami League office in the city in the afternoon.
When Mahin, 7, son of Rajib Ahmed of Uposhohor New Market area of the city, picked a crude bomb up it exploded instantly, blowing off his wrist and injuring several parts of his body around 12:15 pm.
He was rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).
In Kishoreganj, train movement on Dhaka-Kishoreganj route remained suspended for one hour as prickets removed fishplates from the tracks near Shararchar Railway Station in the morning during the blockade.
In Bogra, at least nine people, including a policeman, were injured in crude bomb blasts in a human chain programme of Ganajagaran Mancha at Satmatha in the town in the morning.
Blockaders vandalised at least 15 moving vehicles on Dhaka-Bogra highway in Shahjahanpur upazila at noon when those were crossing the area with police and army protection.
In Gaibandha, blockaders torched four buses and vandalised 19 others at different points on Dhaka-Rangpur highway in Polashbari upazila.
The opposition alliance has been on nonstop agitation programmes since the Election Commission announced the election schedule on November 25 fixing the balloting date for January 5.
The 18-party has already enforced 418 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in four spells –71-hour, 131-hour, 144-hour and 72-hour ones — after the announcement of the election schedule, that left at least 78 people dead.
Source: UNBConnect
