Staff Reporter :The countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal, called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance, was observed almost peacefully on Monday, except some stray incidents of violence in the capital and elsewhere across the country.The alliance called the hartal programme protesting the passage of the ’16th Constitution Amendment Bill’ that empowered the Parliament to remove the Supreme Court judges for misconduct and incapacity.Addressing a press briefing during the hartal hours at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, BNP Joint Secretary General Mohammad Shahjahan urged the President not to sign the Amendment Bill for the interest of the country. He also urged the President to send the Amendment Bill to the Parliament again for reconsideration. He alleged that “The present government is going towards the revival of one-party BAKSAL rule in the country after the signing of the bill by the President.” In a post-hartal press briefing at the Nayapaltan office, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that the hartal was spontaneous and the countrymen mandated against the amendment through observing the hartal. He alleged that the government carried out tortures on the leaders and workers of BNP and its allies during the hartal hours. At least 353 people were arrested while 32 others were injured during and ahead of the hartal, he claimed. Strongly criticising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for leaving the country for the USA with a 184- member huge delegation, the BNP leader said it is nothing but ‘misuse of the state-fund’. It is her biggest entourage since taking office in 2009. A number of PM’s relatives even the persons who hold the fake freedom fighters certificates are with the PM’s entourage. The present government is spending the state-fund indiscriminately after coming to power illegally through the so-called Januray-5 election, he said. The BNP and its alliance partners brought out processions in several parts of city and in other places across the country during the hartal hours. Police, however, did not allow the pro-hartal processions in most of the places. A huge number of police and members of other law enforcing agencies were deployed in the city and other parts of the country during the hartal hours. In the capital, a youth was shot at in Sabujbagh in the morning, as police opened fire on a procession of pro-hartal activists. The injured was identified as Jonny, 23. He was admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Police also arrested six pickets from the spot. The hartal supporters vandalised 4-5 vehicles in the area. BNP supporters brought out another procession in Tejgaon Industrial Area. Police foiled it. Police also foiled another procession at Indira Road. The pro-hartal activists also brought out procession at Mohakhali, Shantinagar and some other areas in the capital.The Dhaka University unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of BNP, brought out a procession from Kalabhaban. Police picked up three JCD men from the area. Police also arrested six JCD activists from the Dhaka University campus when they tried to bring out processions from in front of the Rokeya Hall and Ekushey Hall. The DB police also arrested four JCD activists from in front of the BNP Nayapaltan office when they were trying to enter the office at noon.Police intercepted the activists of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, the women wing of BNP, when they tried to bring out a procession at Taltala Market in Khilgaon in the morning.Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out a procession in the city’s Rayerbagh area. They also brought out another procession at Moghbazar.In Sylhet, the newly formed committee of the district unit of JCD brought out a procession in the city in the morning. Later, the rebel activists of the unit obstructed the procession. A chase and counter chase took place between the two factions. 8-10 crude bombs were hurled at the time.In Chuadanga, five BNP men were injured as police charged baton on them while they were trying to bring out a procession at Shahid Hasan Chattar of the district town. Police arrested three persons from the spot.Meanwhile, police arrested 46 activists and leaders of the 20-party alliance and their affiliate organisations on charges of picketing.In Satkhira, police in an overnight drive arrested 12 leaders and activists of BNP and its key ally Jamaat from different areas of the district on charge of creating violence.
