Staff Reporter :The 1st day of nationwide 72-hour hartal during the ongoing blockade, enforced by BNP led 20-party alliance, passed off amid arson attacks and vandalism across the country on Sunday.The vehicular movement was, however, near normal in city and districts. The long distance transports remained virtually off the highways. But the movement of trains and water vessels were normal amid schedule collapse. The hartal supporters exploded bombs in capital city and other parts of the country. The miscreants also vandalized over 45 vehicles in the city during the hartal.Apart from it, the hartal and blockade supporters torched more than 41 vehicles, including 18 passenger buses, across the country.Around 40 people were reportedly hurt, including seven with burn injuries, at that time, police said.The fresh program of hartal began from 6:00am on Sunday and it will continue till 6:00am on Wednesday. In capital, at least three crude bombs were exploded in and outside the Secretariat Bhaban around 10:45am. Two private cars were partially damaged in the blasts.Another crude bomb was hurled at the fifth floor of Bidyut Bhaban around 11:00am. The explosion hit at least two windows of the building. No one, however, was reportedly injured in the incident. At least two cocktails were exploded inside the Projapati under pass at Kawranbazar around 9:30am.In Gopibagh, miscreants set fire on three buses parked in the garage at Sadeq Hossain Khoka Road in Gopibagh.Another bus was also torched in front of Judge Court area around 7:30pm. In New Market, a bus was torched near Science Laboratory intersection around 6:45pm. On the other hand, two buses were torched in Paribag near Banglamotor intersection and North Badda area in the night. In Shahbagh, police recovered 12 cocktails in front of Aziz Super Market around 7:45am. They also arrested three suspected Shibir activists in this connection. At least 10 persons were injured when miscreants hurled several cocktails at Inter-City Subarna Express Train in Brahmanbaria around 12:00 noon. The leaders and activists of BNP locked in a clash with police following the incident. In Feni, pickets exploded at least 15 cocktails and torched four trucks and vandalized nine auto-rickshaws on Trunk Road and Takia Bazaar in the district town around 9:00am. Police also detained at least 12 Shibir activists in this connection, said our district correspondent. In Bogra, at least three goods-laden trucks and a CNG-run auto rickshaw were torched by the hartal and blockade supporters in the Charmatha, Shahartali and Arulia areas in the district in the afternoon. Five people received injuries in the incidents, said Bogra Police Superintendent Gaziur Rahman.Hartal supporters brought out procession on the Noakhali bypass road around 10:30am and vandalized eight CNG-run auto-rickshaws. At least 11 people were injured in the incident. In Rajshahi, Detective Branch (DB) of Police detained four cocktail makers of Chhatra Shibir while they were trying to hurl these on an auto-rickshaw at Rajpara in the city around 7:00am. They have been taken to police custody and being interrogated in this connection of several blasts during the blockade programme. In Gazipur, activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami, torched a bus in Chandana area inside the city around 7:00am, our local correspondent reports.In Sylhet, miscreants hurled at least two cocktail bombs in a bus at the central bus terminal around 7:30pm. No one, however was reported injured in the incident, said our district correspondent.In Barisal, the hartal observed amid stray incidents. An auto rickshaw was vandalized in front of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital, our correspondent said. At least three buses were set on fire in Syedpur area under Burichong upazila of Comilla early of the day.In Habiganj, hartal supporters torched a truck and vandalised another truck and a private car on the Kamrapur-Nasratpur bypass road in Poddar Bari area around 12:00 noon.In Sirajganj, Jamaat-Shibirmen blasted two cocktails targeting police in Khokshabari area on Sirajganj-Kazipur road around 9:00am.A truck driver was burnt as miscreants hurled at least three petrol bombs at a bus and a private car on the Jessore-Benapole highway in Sadar upazila around 12:10am. The injured Nazim was admitted to Jessore General Hospital immediately.Police detained three persons for their alleged involvement in sabotage while miscreants torched a parking bus in the Bus Stand area in Pirojpur district town around 12:05am.Meanwhile hartal supporters vandalized few vehicles and blasted cocktails in Bhandaria and Mothbaria of the district.In Gaibandha, a bus was torched in the district town around 8:00am. Earlier on January 30, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed announced the hartal demanding mid-term polls under a caretaker government, protesting mass arrest, filing ‘false’ cases and killing of opposition leaders and activists.
