Staff Reporter :Miscreants torched at least 20 vehicles, including private cars, in capital Dhaka and elsewhere across the country on the 56th day of blockade on Monday enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.Panic has gripped the country again as the intensity of violence and destruction has further increased in the country since the beginning of this week. People apprehend it as a new dimension as miscreants have targeted torching of private cars along with other vehicles during the hartal and blockade.In Dhaka, three passengers of a Janata Bank staff bus were injured as the pro-hartal activists hurled a crude bomb at the vehicle at Jatrabari on Monday. The victims are now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said Inspector Muzammel Haque, In-Charge of the hospital police camp. Of them, two received splinter injuries during the blast while another was hurt as he jumped from the bus to escape the attack, Muzammel said.The arson attack took place at Bhanga Press in the Jatrabari area around 9:30am.Miscreants also torched two private cars parked in front of a residential hotel at Bijoy Nagar in the capital in the afternoon.A group of pro-hartal activists torched the vehicles around 4:10pm, Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters sources said. Nodda police post near Gulshan, Dhaka and a shop were damaged when nine crud bombs were thrown by pro-hartal activists at 9:00am yesterday, said police sergeant Aynul. Meanwhile, police detained 14 activists of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, from different places of the capital on charge of plotting subversive activities in 24 hours yesterday. Of the detainees, seven activists are from BNP and seven from Jamaat-Shibir.In Feni, alleged pickets torched a passenger bus, but no injury was reported from the incident, reports our Feni correspondent.The hartal supporters, who boarded the bus of Sugandha Paribahan in guise of passengers, forced the driver to stop the vehicle at Aziz Fazilpur Moktarbarir Darja in Feni district around 7:00am, said Md Abu Faisal, officer-in-charge of Dagonbhuiyan Police Station.They first forced the passengers to get down from the bus and then torched the vehicle pouring petrol, the OC said adding that all the seats of the bus were gutted in the arson attack.The bus was heading for Sonapur of Noakhali from Mahipal of Feni. Police later took the gutted bus to the local police station. The 20-party alliance enforced shutdown alongside its nonstop blockade which began yesterday around 6:00am and will end around 6:00am on Wednesday to meet its demand for an inclusive general election under a neutral administration.In Bogra, two trucks were torched on Bogra-Naogaon highway in Arulia area of Bogra Sadar Upazila around 5:45am.No injury was reported in the attack, says our Bogra correspondent. Rafiqul Islam, one of the drivers of the trucks, said, some unidentified people set ablaze his fish-laden truck which was heading to Natore.Assistant Superintendent of Police (A Circle) of Bogra Nazir Ahmed Khan said that miscreants torched another truck in the same area and fled the scene.In Dinajpur, alleged pickets hurled a petrol bomb at a truck on the Dinajpur-Dhaka highway in Nawabganj upazila early today. The Dinajpur-bound truck from Sirajganj was torched near Bhaduria area around 6:00am, but none was hurt in the incident, Amirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Nawabganj Police Station told our correspondent.Firefighters of Hili Fire Service Station rushed to the spot and doused the fire immediately, he added.In Joypurhat, some miscreants exploded two crude bombs in front of Islami Bank office and ransacked windowpanes of a diagnostic centre today.Later, another gang of miscreants numbering 10 to 14 went on rampage at several business establishments in Amtoli area of Joypurhat municipality.Sirajul Islam, Inspector at Joypurhat Sadar Police Station, told our Dinajpur correspondent that businessmen were forced to shut down their business establishments following the incident.
