Staff Reporter: The 55th day of the indefinite blockade, alongside the first day of the renewed 72-hour nationwide hartal, called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance passed off amid petrol bomb attacks and vandalism in Dhaka and some other districts on Sunday, affecting the normal life, economic activities and education across the country. The intensity of violence and damages was lesser during the last few days but since Saturday night the hartal and blockade activists renewed clandestine attacks again targeting the passenger vehicles, goods laden trucks and train, creating fresh panic among the people. The hartal and blockade activists torched at least 10 vehicles in capital Dhaka, Laxmipur, Joypurha, Rajshahi, Bogra Magura and other districts on Sunday. A helper sleeping inside a bus sustained burn injuries in Joypurhat. Besides, the Municipal office of Magura was torched by miscreants on Saturday night by pouring petrol, damaging some documents. In Dhaka, the blockade and hartal supporters set ablaze three buses at Jatrabari and Gulistan on Sunday morning. Locals said pickets torched two BRTC buses near Rayerbagh under Jatrabari Police Station around 9:10am and managed to flee the scene. Another bus was set on fire under Gulistan flyover near Nagarbhaban at the same time. On information, Fbrigades rushed to the spots and doused the flames. None was injured in the arson attacks. In Rajshahi, a gang of miscreants set on fire to two buses belongs of Hanif Enterprise in the city during a strike being enforced by the BNP-led alliance in the morning. Police arrested three BNP activists from the spot while they were fleeing after throwing bombs. The arrested persons are: Rinku, 28, Rejabul Hassan, and Mim Al Mahmud Istiak, 36. All of them are the residents of Talaimari area under Motiher Police Station in the metropolis. One of them – Rinku, was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with bullet wounds. He is the son of Tariqul Islam Paltu, 25, Ward Unit BNP President and Councillor of Rajshahi City Corporation. Quoting witnesses police sources said the barbaric act of arson was committed in front of Hanif Bus Counter in Seroil area under Boalia Police Station about 7.30 am on Sunday. However, no casualties were reported in the incident. Alamgir Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Boalia Police Station, said the miscreants set the buses on fire after throwing petrol bombs targeting the buses. Police also recovered two petrol bombs, an iron-rod and a knife from possessions of the detained persons, the OC added. In Laxmipur, miscreants set three vehicles afire on Laxmipur-Kamalnagar road in Kamalnagar upazila headquarters area on Sunday on the first day of the BNP-led alliance’s fresh 72-hour hartal. Police said a group of miscreants numbering 10-12 appeared there around 12:30 pm and set fire to a truck, a pickup van and a human hauler. However, no one was hurt during the incidents. On information, police with the help of local people extinguished the blaze. In Joypurhat, a bus helper named Ratan, a resident of Islampur village in Dupchanchia upazila of Bogra district, suffered burn injuries as miscreants torched his vehicle at a bus stand in Akkelpur upazila early in the morning. In Bogra, hartal supporters vandalised a private car and several CNG-run auto-rickshaws at Mofiz Paglar More on the Sherpur Road in the district town around 9:00am. In Magura, miscreants torched the municipal office of the district on Saturday night by pouring petrol. Some documents and papers got damaged in the arson. At least 15 leaders and activists of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir were arrested for ‘sabotage plan’ from different parts of the city during the last 24 hours drive, an official of the police headquarters told The New Nation on Sunday. He said that a total of 210 vehicles came under petrol bomb attack, while 532 other came under arson attack since January 5 to till February 28. The blockade supporters also launched arson attack on 33 government establishments and ransacked 14 other during the period. Around 2000 crude bombs were exploded,” he said. “Besides, one police personal was killed and about 300 were injured during the period,” he said. According to our correspondents and others sources, some 1250 vehicles, including passenger buses and goods laden trucks, were either torched or vandalized by blockade supporters during the last 55 days since January 5. Of the deaths, about 60 people were killed in petrol bomb attacks, 36 in police firing and mass beating and 16 other in clashes and in other incidents. Besides, over 310 people received burn injuries in petrol bomb attacks so far. Of them, 133 people were admitted to Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the condition of over 49 persons is stated to be critical. The Railway faced 14 times acts of sabotage allegedly carried out by the 20-party alliance activists during the aforesaid period. They removed fishplates, uprooted tracks and set fire to rail lines to disrupt the services. At the same time, the blockaders also hurled petrol bombs targeting the passenger carrying coaches. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia called the indefinite blockade from January 6 as the government did not allow her party and its allies to hold protest rallies in the capital on January 5. Since then she (Khaleda) has been residing inside her Gulshan party office.
