Staff Reporter :
The hartal called by Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh turned violent and deadly as three pro-hartal supporters were killed in clashes with law enforcers in Brahmanbaria’s Sarail upazila on Sunday.
In Brahmanbaria, Hefazat’s leaders and activists, and madrasa students campaigned at various points of the district town and other upazila areas in support of the hartal since early morning.
The police and eyewitnesses said Hefazat supporters vandalised Khantihata Highway Police Station at Sarail Bishwa Road intersection on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway around 11:45am. At one point, members of the law enforcement opened fire as the agitating Hefazat activists set the police station on fire.
At least two people sustained bullet wounds during the clash, they said.
One 40-year-old unidentified male died of gunshot wound at the Brahmanbaria General Hospital around 3pm, confirmed duty doctor at emergency department Dr Syed Ariful Islam.
Earlier, Hadis Miah, 23, of Khatihata village under Budhol union of Sadar upazila and Al Amin, 12, son of Sufi Ali, of Kuttapara village of Sadar upazila, died of gunshot injuries around 2pm, confirmed Dr Showkat Hossain, the supervisor of Brahmanbaria General Hospital.
Police were yet to confirm the third death.
Regarding this matter, Brahmanbaria Police’s Senior Assistant superintendent at Sarail Circle Anisur Rahman said several policemen were injured in the attack on the highway police station. Police lobbed tear gas and shot rubber bullet and dispersed them.
According to the locals of Brahmanbaria, the pro-hartal activists set fire to different ground floor rooms of the district council and attacked and vandalised Sur Samrat Alauddin
Sangeetangan, land office and the main gate of Brahmanbaria Press Club where the president Reaz Uddin of press club was injured.
The protesters also attacked the stalls of Unnayan Mela at Shaheed Dhirendra Nath Bhasha Chattar in the district town, witnesses said.
Besides that thousands of madrasa students and others were seen holding sticks at Sarail Bishwa Road intersection, Kuttapara intersection, Bariura, Shahbazpur, Bertala and Uchaliapara intersections on Sarail-Nasirnagar-Lakhai regional highway.
Vehicular movement was suspended as Hefazat men blocked those roads with tree trunks, electric poles, plants and burning tyres.
Akhaura Railway Station Police in-charge Md Mazharul Islam said that train communications between Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet remained suspended from 9:30 am.
Earlier, Hefazat Supporters threw brick-bats at Dhaka bound Sonar Bangla Express train in the Talshahar area and authorities took the train to Bhairab Bazar station. Several people were injured that time.
In Dhaka, Hefajat activists brought out processions in Lalbagh, Paltan, Baitul Mukarram, Mohammadpur, Basila, Saat Masjid and Jatrabari areas in the morning.
A clash happened between hartal supporters and Awami League supporters in the city’s Paltan area.
Bringing out a procession from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Hefazat supporters went towards GPO intersection. At that time, an AL activists’ procession came from the opposite direction and a chase and counter-chase took place.
Later, Hefajat supporters returned to the mosque and held a rally there.
Around 300 Hefazat men blocked the road at Mohammadpur bus stand by setting fire to tyres for an hour since 6:30am.
Picketers also blocked a road in Basila area of Mohammadpur in the morning, causing traffic gridlock in the surrounding areas for an hour.
In Narayanganj, at least 30 people were injured including two with bullet in a clash between hartal supporters and members of law enforcement agencies in Mouchak area of Siddhirganj upazila in Narayanganj on Sunday.
The bullet-hit victims were identified as Mohammad Shakil, 26, an employee of a furniture shop, and Shafiq, 60, who admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Jayedul Islam, superintendent of Narayanganj Police, said that some hartal supporters took position in Mouchak area and put up barricade on the road by placing logs and burning tyres at noon.
At one stage, police and BGB men tried to disperse them, triggering a chase and counter -chase. The hartal supporters also hurled brick chips towards police and BGB men, forcing them to take action, he said.
After the incident, agitated locals threw stones and brick chips, damaging at least 10 vehicles on Dhaka-Chattogram highway where Hefazat activists put barricades, halting traffic movement.
Hefazat activists blocked Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet highways by torching tyres at different points, disrupting traffic movement.
Police and witnesses said stick-wielding Hefazat activists used timber and sand bags and torched tyres at Madanganj, Shimrail, Mouchak and Sanarpar area to block the highways at 6:00am.
Windows and windshields of some trucks on the highways were also broken.
In Rajshahi, some unidentified criminals set two stationary buses of Bangladesh Road Transport and Corporation (BRTC) on fire at Rajshahi Truck Terminal in the city’s Amchattar area on Sunday during the countrywide daylong hartal enforced by Hefazat.
Senior Station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense of Rajshahi Abdur Rauf said the criminals set a bus of BRTC on fire around 6:30 am and the fire spread to another stationary bus of BRTC.
On information, fire fighters rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. However, no causality was reported till the filling of this report, he added.
Shah Makhdum Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam Khan said that the police are investigating the incident.
In Munshiganj, at least 30 people, including an Officer-in-charge of Sirajdikhan Police Station, were injured in clashes between police and Hefazat men in Boro Shikarpur and Shulpur areas of Sirajdikhan upazila. One of them sustained bullet wounds.
The injured police officer SM Jalaluddin was brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for treatment around noon. He was hit in the head, said DMCH outpost in-charge Bacchu Miya.
In Kishoreganj, the supporters of Hifazat caused vandalism, arson and clashes took place at the Awami League office. The clashes started at 12 noon and lasted till around 2.30 pm. Police lobbed tear gas shells, blank shot rubber bullets to quell the clashes. At that time more than 50 people were injured in the incident.
Kishoreganj’s SP Mashrukur Rahman Khaled said that the large-scale presence of law enforcement did not lead to any major violence. However, police lobbed tear gas shells and blank shots to stop the clashes. Now the situation is under control.
In Chittagong, road communications with other parts of the country remained suspended since Sunday morning as no long-route bus left Chittagong due to the hartal.
Some students of Al Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasa damaged roads and created a number of holes on Chittagong-Khagrachhari highway early Sunday, disrupting communications on the road.
In Sylhet, the hartal supporters brought out processions in different parts of the city, including the Court point, after Fazr prayers. No long-route buses left the district in the morning.
Earlier, 10 people were killed and over hundred others were injured as activists of different Islamist organizations clashed with the police and ruling Awami League activists in Chattogram and Brahmanbaria on Friday and Saturday over the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangladesh to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu and the golden jubilee of independence.
On the other hand, a man named Shah Alam Bhuiyan, 62, died on the way to Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon after being injured in a clash between two sides at Sarail Bishbrod intersection in Brahmanbaria. He is the son of Abdul Awal Bhuiyan of Kuttapara village in Sarail upazila.
At least 14 people were killed in last three days of violent protests.
