Staff Reporter :The first day of the 48-hour hartal in Dhaka and Khulna divisions on Wednesday marked stray incidents of violence amid the ongoing countrywide non-stop blockade programme of the BNP-led 20-party alliance. The shutdown will end at 6:00 am tomorrow (Thursday). The vehicular movement in the city was more than other hartal days. No long-route bus, however, left the city. Two cocktails were exploded in front of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in old Dhaka. However, no causality was reported.Miscreants set fire a private car in Gazipur near Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute in the morning.The blockaders also conducted vandalism, threw cocktails and locked in clashes with the law enforcers in different parts of the country. Police arrested at least 150 people in connection with the violence in the countrywide drive.The 20-party and the local units of the JCD observed dawn-to-dusk hartal in Sylhet, Pabna, Rangpur and Jessore districts demanding release of BNP acting secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and others, and withdrawal of false cases against standing committee member Tariqul Islam and others. Besides, the Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Narail protesting the killing of its supporter and ward commissioner Imrul Quayes, who was reportedly killed in a ‘gunfight’ with DB police in Dhaka city on Monday. Chittagong Bureau: A 36-hour hartal called by the 20-party alliance in Chittagong division ended on Wednesday noon. The alliance called the hartal protesting the arrest of its leaders and activists. At least 10 persons received severe burn injuries when miscreants hurled petrol bombs on running buses in Barisal and Feni during BNP-led nonstop blockade programme yesterday.Besides, three vehicles, including a bus in at Trishal in Mymensingh, a bus in Barisal and a truck at Hathazari of Chittagong were burnt by the BNP activists on the first-day of 48-hour hartal. Barisal Correspondent: Six passengers were injured in an arson attack near Khoyrabad Bridge on Barisal-Kuakata route on early yesterday. The bus came under arson attacks of miscreants when crossing Barisal University reached Khoyrabad Bridge near Turjya Filling Station at Barisal-Jhalakathi districts boarder At about 1:10 AM.The patrol team of law enforcers reached at the spot immediately. Fire service rushed from Barisal and extinguished the flame. Police arranged safe transportations of the passengers to their destinations, SI Golam Kabir said.Sub Inspector Golam Kabir, second officer of Barisal Kotwali Police Station, said the bus of Abdullah Paribahon [Dhaka-Metro-Ba-14-7818] was plying on Saidabad [Dhaka] – Kuakata (Patuakhali) route.Of the injured, Reshma Begum, 31, with burn injuries, and Hafizur Rahman, 29 and unidentified another one sent to Barisal Sher E Bangla Medical College Hospital. The other three Md. Ismail, Md. Ali, and unidentified another one with minor injuries left the spot after taking first-aid. Dr. Ranabir Das, emergency medical officer of Barisal SBMCH, said the three injured sent there also left the hospital on Wednesday early morning after taking treatment.Imran and Jasim of Kalapara, two other passengers of the bus said the number of injury became less as the bus immediately stopped plying succeeded to evacuate the passengers. However, most of the luggage and baggage of the passengers destroyed in the fire. However except these incidents blockade going on loosely without hampering daily life in Barisal on Wednesday.BNP activists brought out stray procession and picketing calling to make blockade and strike successful at C and B, Nabagram Road and Jamaat-Shibir activists blasted cocktail at Kawnia and Kashipur areas of the city in the morning.Feni Correspondent: Four people sustained burn injuries when miscreants hurled petrol bombs on a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on Basurhat road in Dudmukha Bazar area under Daganbhuiyan upazila in Feni.The victims are Mainuddin, Saddam Hossain, Manik and Zainal Abedin, Daganbhuiyan OC Azim Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune. The incident took place when the CNG-run auto-rickshaw reached the area on Tuesday night, leaving four people injured.Of them, Mainuddin and Saddam Hossain were admitted to Feni sadar hospital. Later, they were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as their mouths and chests were burnt seriously, said Dr Asim Saha, the residential physician of the hospital. On information, Feni police super Rezaul Haq visited the victims at the Feni sadar hospital at night.The other two victims – CNG driver Manik and passenger Zainal Abedin – were under treatment at local clinics in Feni, the police official added.Khulna Correspondent: At least four battery-run human haulers were vandalised at Moulavi Para of Sadar upazila in the morning. Police arrested one person from the spot.Besides, police arrested BNP general secretary of Narayanganj city unit ATM Kamal yesterday on charges of subversive activities. CU Correspondent: The administration building and the Agrani Bank branch of Chittagong University were locked by the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Dal following the countrywide strike called by Chhatra Dal.Sources said, some 20 JCD men put the building of Vice-Chancellor Prof Anwarul Azim Arif under lock and key at around 9.00 am yesterday while Agrani Bank branch was also locked. On tip of the police appearance, agitators left the place immediately, they added. Chhatra Dal sources said, they called a strike in protest of the killing of Nuruzzaman Jony, organizing secretary of Chhatra Dal of Khilgaon thana in the capital and the corruption and aggression by BCL men at educational institutions.Proctor Siraj-ud-Daula said, some miscreants put the VC building under lock and key adding that the authority would take stern action against the involved persons.Saif Uddin Salam Mitu, ex-secretary of Chhatra Dal, Chittagong University unit told the New Nation that they would lock the university as well as countrywide educational institutions if the government wouldn’t stop the oppression on the opposition leaders.Meanwhile, another 36-hour hartal in Kushtia and Jhenidah will end today [Thursday] noon. The hartal began on Wednesday morning. The Islamic University unit of the JCD called the hartal in realization of its four-point demand.The BNP-led alliance will also enforce a daylong hartal in Joypurhat for today [Thursday] protesting the government repression.
