First Day of BNP-Jamaat Blockade: 3 killed, several hundred injured in clashes
Staff Reporter :
At least three BNP activists were killed and several hundred others, including 25 policemen, injured in clashes on Tuesday in different parts of the country during the first day of a three-day nationwide blockade called by the main opposition party- the BNP- and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. More than 30 vehicles were torched and vandalised by the agitators at the same time.
Police also arrested more than 100 BNP-Jamaat activists from different parts of the country.
In Kishoreganj, at least two BNP men were killed and over 70 people, including, 20 cops, injured, in clashed between BNP -Jamaat with police in different places of the district.
The deceased have been identified as Billal Miah, Krishak Dal Vice-President of Chhaysuti union and Refayet Ullah, a local leader of Chhatra Dal.
At Kuliarchar, the clash took place at Chhoysuti Bus stand on Tuesday morning around 7.30 am. 25 people, including 15 copsalong with Kuliarchar OC Golam Mostafa, were injured in the incidenty, our Kishoreganj correspondent said.
According to local sources, around 7 am, the leaders and activists of BNP and other opposition parties took a position on the regional road in Chhoysuti Union of Kuliarchar Upazila.
Despite being stopped by the police, they marched through the road. At that time, activists clashed with the police.
Md.Abul Kalam Azad, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kishoreganj, confirmed the news of two deaths on Tuesday noon.
Kishoreganj district BNP organizing secretary Aminul Islam Ashfaq claimed that two of our party men were killed in police firing.
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Kuliarchar police station. Golam Mustafa said , there was a clash between police and BNP supporters. At that time, I heard the news that two people were killed when they shot in self-defense.
However, Police Super ( SP) Mohammad Russell Sheikh PPM (Bar), who visited the scene, said a group of BNP men attacked law enforcers, triggering a clash.
At one stage, police tried to leave the spot, but attackers started throwing brickchunks at them when they took shelter a house in the area.
Later, finding no other alternative, police opened fired for selfdefense.
During the clash, 15 police men including OC, Kuliarchar were injured, he added.
Meanwhile, at Bhairab, at least 25 people were injured in a clash between BNP leader and activists on Tuesday morning.
Besides, BNP men clash with police in Chhadoshotha, Mariya, and Radhidabad areas of Kishoreganj Sadar upazila. At that time, police brought the situation under control by firing shotguns.
In Sylhet, a Jubo Dal leader died after suffering injuries in a motorcycle accident that took place when he was fleeing from the police on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Sylhet’s Dakkhin Surma upazila this morning.
Jubo Dal called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Sylhet division today in protest of the death, said Moksud Ahmed, general secretary of the Sylhet district unit Jubo Dal.
In Dhaka, miscreants set a passenger bus on fire near the High Court in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 3:30 pm, said Fire service control room duty officer Ershad Hossain.
Members of the Fire service doused the fire around 3:40 pm, he added.
Besides, picketers vandalised three buses including a bus carrying school students in Dhaka’s Dhamrai.
Confirming the matter, Dhamrai Police Station Inspector (Operations) Nirmal Kumar Das told the media, “One person has been arrested in connection with the vandalism of the bus. Legal action is in process.”
In Chattogram, police arrested 14 BNP activists for allegedly vandalising a car in the City Gate area under the Akbar Shah police station yesterday morning.
Later, based on the information provided by arrestees, the law enforcers recovered seven cocktails from a depot in the area, said the police.
However, the BNP claimed that police attacked them during their “peaceful” blockade and even fired shots, injuring at least 20 party men.
In Jhenaidah, at least 45 leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organisations were detained during the BNP’s three-day nationwide blockade.
In Kushtia, police have arrested BNP’s three former lawmakers.
The arrested are freedom fighter and former MP from Kushita-4 constituency Syed Mehedi Ahmed Rumi, former MP from Kushita-3 constituency Sohrab Uddin and former MP from Kushita-1 constituency Reza Ahmed Bachhu Molla.
Two of them were arrested from BNP district office in Kushita town around 11:00pm on Tuesday and one from his residence. Police also seized 18 cocktails from the spots. They were shown arrested in vandalism cases.
In Bogura, blockaders set three motorcycles on fire in the Banani bypass area of the Dhaka-Bogura highway at around 10:30am Tuesday (31 October) morning – the first day of the three-day blockade called by the BNP, its eight allies and Jamaat-e-Islami.
