Staff Reporter :The ongoing countrywide blockade, called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance, passed 18th day on Thursday amid incidents of violence across the country alongside with the 48-hour hartal in Dhaka and Khulna divisions. The hartal began on Wednesday morning and it will end at 6:00 am today (Friday). The 20-party alliance called the shutdown protesting the killings, abduction and arrest of its leaders and workers. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of BNP, also called the hartal on the same demands.Besides, the 20-party also observed daylong hartal in some other districts, including Joypurhat and Narsingdi. The vehicular movement on the city streets was almost normal during the hartal. No long-route bus, however, left the city. Leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir brought out processions in some areas of the city, including Shahjadpur, in the morning in support of the hartal. They blasted several crude bombs at Shahjadpur. Later, police dispersed them by opening 15-20 rounds of bullet.Meanwhile, the attack on public transport and other incidents of violence was also reported from several parts of the country like the past days. The death toll in the ongoing unrest rose to 30, as two blast victims died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on Thursday. Mahbubur Rahman Bappy, a JCD leader, and Sanjit Hossain Ovi, a student of Kabi Nazrul College, who were injured in separate bomb explosions on January 21 and 14 respectively in the city, succumbed to their injuries at the DMCH early in the morning.In the capital, miscreants torched at least four vehicles at Kamlapur, Rampura and Postogola in the city in the evening. However, no were injured in the incidents. Miscreants set fire to a bus of ‘Ekushey Paribahan’ at Kamlapur’s TT Para, while a bus of ‘Suprovat Service; was torched at in front of TV Bhaban at Rampura and covered van was torched at the kitchen market of Rampura. Two units of fire-fighter rushed to TT Para, while the locals doused the flame at Rampura. The members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in the city from Thursday evening to avert subversive activities. The BGB will work with police and other law enforcing agencies to ensure security of people’s lives and properties. In Rajshahi, masked miscreants attacked a Dhaka-bound motorcade in the city under security escort. There were more than 50 vehicles, including buses and trucks, in the motorcade and at least 15 of the vehicles were damaged with petrol bombs and brickbats. Three people were injured, while police arrested three Jamaat-Shibirmen in this connection. The motorcade came under attack when it was passing Barnali intersection of Binodpur at noon. Motihar Police OC Alamgir Hossain said that supporters of the blockade attacked the vehicles with petrol bombs and hand-made bombs. The motorcade was later able to move ahead with the help of police, RAB and BGB. The miscreants exploded 18 bombs.In Sylhet, four vehicles were set on fire at Golapganj and Dakkhin Surma upazilas in the morning. Miscreants set fire to two buses in Hilalpur area of Golapganj upazila. On information, fire fighting unit rushed to the spot and doused the blaze. A bus and an auto-rickshaw were torched in Chhirampur bypass area of Dakkhin Surma upazila. In Habiganj, car of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Baniachang upazila Shamsul Islam was vandalised. The car was parked in front of upazila land office and unidentified miscreants vandalised it in the afternoon. Baniachang Thana police visited the spot. In Chandpur, district Awami League office was torched in the morning. But no one was hurt in the arson attack. Locals put out the blaze immediately. Miscreants fled the spot after torching the office. Two chairs and a poster of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were gutted when miscreants set fire to the office on Chandpur-Comilla road in the town. Police arrested a person in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, police arrested Chandpur district Jamaat secretary from the district town in the afternoon. Police said that they arrested the Jamaat leader, as he is accused in one more cases. In Jhalokati, the residence of Nalchhiti upazila vice-chairman and convener of upazila Jubo League Sharif Mohammad Dulal was torched early hours of Thursday. Miscreants torched the residence at Purbo Malipura of the upazila. No one was injured in the incident, but a motorbike and part of kitchen room were damaged. Miscreants also torched a vehicle at Binoykati area of Jhalokati sadar. Police arrested three BNP-Jamaat men in this connection.In Narsingdi, Jamaat-e-Islami observed a daylong hartal in the district protesting the arrest of its district ameer Maulana AFM Abdus Sattar. Vehicular movement on the town streets was almost normal. However, No long route buses left or entered the district in the morning. Police arrested the district Jamaat ameer from the district town on Wednesday night.In Dinajpur, three people were burnt, as alleged blockaders hurled two petrol bombs at a truck in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur on Wednesday night.
