At least 12 people were injured, of them three received bullet injuries, when police and BNP supporters were locked in street battles in Munshiganj Sadar on Saturday during the daylong hartal.The local unit of BNP had called the dawn to dusk shutdown protesting vote rigging during the second phase upazila election and other irregularities. They also were demanded fresh polls in the upazila.Tension is running high in the area where additional police force have been deployed to avert any further untoward situation.Witness said the clash erupted when some 200 leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations brought out a procession led by Jubo Dal president Mohammad Hossain Pusti from Hatimara area in the morning.They faced police interception after marching nearly half a kilometre towards Sipahipara, triggering a chase and counter-chase and leaving a dozen of activists injured. A chase and counter-chase also took place during the clash.The three bullet-injured persons were identified as: Mohamamd Hossain Pusti, 40, president of the Sadar upazila unit of Jubo Dal, his sibling Nur Hossain Pusti, 33, president of 2- ward unit of the organisation, and Faruk Hossain, 38, a local activist.They were rushed to Munshiganj Sadar Hospita at first. Later, they were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital when their condition deteriorated. Other persons, injured in the clash, have been admitted to various hospitals and clinics in the locality. “The Jubo Dal activists hurled brickbats towards police forcing the law enforcers to retaliate promptly. Police dispersed the pickets by firing three rounds of bullet,” Mohammad Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said.He said, “Two policemen and journalists from three private television station channels were also injured in the clash being hit by the brickbats thrown by pickets.”Earlier, BNP candidates boycotted polls in Sadar upazila on allegation of vote rigging on Thursday and called a daylong hartal in the upazila for Saturday protesting the irregularities.Anisuzzaman Anis, backed by ruling Awami League, was elected chairman of Munshiganj Sadar.Meanwhile, the shutdown ended peacefully in other parts of the upazila. The inter-district transports were seen as usual during the hartal. Besides, the roadside shops and business establishments remained open in the town while few shops were found shuttered down in the town, according to police.In another incident, at least 20 people were injured in a clash between activists of the ruling Awami League and BNP activists at Hazirhat in Manpura upazila on Friday.Local sources said a group of activists of the local units of Jubo League and Chhatra League stormed the Manpura upazila unit BNP office and vandalised it from a procession at about 7:00 pm.At one stage, a chase and counter- chase took place between the activists of Jubo League and Chattra League and BNP over the incident, trigging a clash. Being informed, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.The injured were rushed to Manpura Upazila Health Complex.
