Six people, including three members of a family, were injured as hartal supporters allegedly set off crude bombs and petrol bombs in Mirpur and Dhaka University areas on Sunday evening, ahead of Monday’s countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal to be enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. Besides, a government staff bus was torched and several vehicles were vandalised in the city’s Paltan, Kuril Bishaw Road, Uttara and Abdullahpur areas in the evening. Hospital sources said Shamsun Nahar, 55, his son Tajibul Haque, 23, and daughter Anika, 18, were going to their Mirpur-7 residence by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw from Shantinagar in the evening. When they reached Kazipara bus stand, pre-hartal pickets threw a petrol bomb at their three-wheeler at about 7:30pm, injuring the trio. In another incident, two pedestrians — Sathi Akhter, 20, and Ruma Chowdhury — were injured when several crude bombs were blasted at Shib Bari on Dhaka University campus at the same time. Almost at the same time, 5-7 more crude bombs were exploded at the TSC of Dhaka University, injuring a rickshaw-puller known as Harun-ur-Rashid. All of them were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, hartal supporters set fire to a staff bus of the Public Administration Ministry near Paltan crossing police outpost at about 6:30pm. A firefighting unit went to the spot and doused the flame. Besides, pre-hartal pickets staged demonstrations burning tyres on the street in Kuril Bishaw Road areas in the evening. –UNB, Dhaka.
