Staff Reporter :The first day of the fresh 72-hour countrywide hartal, called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance along with ongoing nonstop blockade, was observed on Sunday amid stray violence. The ongoing blockade passed 35th day yesterday.The 20-party alliance called the hartal protesting the extra-judicial killing, mass arrest and torture on its leaders and workers and demanding restoration of democracy. They plan to continue the shutdown programme till 6:00 AM on Wednesday.In the capital city, vehicular movement was almost normal during the hartal hours. However, no long-route buses left the city. A large number of law enforcers remained deployed in different parts of the city to fend off any trouble. A bus of ‘Basumati Paribahan’ was vandalised at Mirpur Section-1 area in the morning. Meanwhile, at least seven people, including six Dhaka University (DU) students, were injured in crude bomb blasts on the DU campus and Matsya Bhaban area during hartal hours. Campus and hospital sources said three DU students — Emdadul, 23, Tamanna Akhter, 20, and Neaz Ahmed, 22 — suffered injuries from splinters when 2-3 crude bombs were exploded near the Central Shaheed Minar in the evening. In another incident, three crude bombs were set off on the DUS Chattar of the TSC on the DU campus in the same time, leaving three DU students — Al Farazi, 24, Sabuj, 23, and Shampa Akhter, 19, injured. Miscreants hurled 2-3 more crude bombs at a bus of ‘Bihanga Paribahan’ in the Matsya Bhaban area, injuring its passenger Raqibul Islam, 32. All the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Earlier, miscreants exploded a crude bomb in front of the DU Mass Communication and Journalism Department at the Arts Building in the morning. However, no one was injured in the bomb blast, nor anyone arrested in connection with the incident. Contacted, Proctor M Amzad Ali of the university said Vice-chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique was delivering his lecture in a classroom of the department when the crude bomb went off. Miscreants hurled the crude bomb targeting the VC as they knew beforehand that he was taking the class, the DU Proctor added.Attack on vehicles and other incidents of violence were reported from several parts of the country like the past days. The death toll in the ongoing unrest rose to 68, as two more arson victims of Gaibandha and Bogra succumbed to burn injuries. Meanwhile, several leaders and workers of the BNP and its alliance partners were also arrested on Sunday, while at least three were killed in the so-called ‘crossfire’ and ‘gunfight’. The victim of Gaibandha arson attack died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) in early hours on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam, 40, son of Abdul Gafur of Sheesha village under Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district. Kalam was a day-labourer by profession. With his death, the death toll of petrol bomb attack on a bus on Gaibandha-Polashbari road on Friday night rose to eight. The Napu Enterprise bus, carrying around 50 passengers, was attacked in Tulshighat area of Sadar upazila. A case was filed in connection with the incident against 90 people, including the district BNP president Anisuzzaman Khan Babu, with Gaibandha Sadar Police Station on Saturday night.In Bogra, a truck helper, who suffered burn injuries from the firebombing of a truck in Shahjahanpur upazila on Saturday, died at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital. The deceased was identified as Hasib, 30, hailed from Kazipur in Sirajganj. In Gazipur, at least three vehicles were set on fire at Sreepur in the district in the morning, while several crude bombs were also exploded in the area.
