DHAKA: The countrywide daylong hartal, called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance, was observed amid stray incidents of blasts, picketing, killing and detention.
The alliance observed the shutdown protesting the occupying of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gazipur rally place by Chhatra League and as a result local administration enforced section 144 in the area and demanding immediate release of BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.
However, a female school teacher, Shamsunnahar, 35, was killed by a brickbat hurled by a picketer in Noakhali.
Some 263, including 11 in Dhaka, BNP-Jamaat activists, were detained around the country during the hartal hours.
Some seven to eight cocktails were blasted from a procession by hartal supporters at Bottala intersection in Dayaganj area under Gendaria Thana of the city around 7:00am.
Gendaria Thana Duty officer Sub-inspector (SI) Haridas said that they have, no information, about the blast and picketing.
However, hartal supporters brought out processions in different areas across the country. Stray incidents of cocktail blast, picketing, vandalism and torching were also reported.
Police detained 11 suspected from in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan office in city. A Chhatra Dal activist was awarded 15-day of imprisonment by mobile court at Jagannath University (JnU) area.
A female school teacher, Shamsunnahar, 35, was killed by a brick bat hurled by a picketer in Noakhali. Police detained five people on allegation of involvement with the incident.
Law enforcers held 34 hartal supporters at Rajshahi, four Chhatra Shibir activists at Gaibanhda, five from Sherpur, 1 Jamaat and 11 BNP men from Narail, three from Benapole, three BNP and seven Jamaat-Shibir men from Rangpur, 25 including 10 BNP-Jamaat activists at Jhenaidah, eight from Chandpur, four from Meherpur, three including city BNP convener Dr Shahriar Hossain of Sylhet, eight BNP-Jamaat men from Feni and three from Joypurhat district.
Moreover, two BNP from Cox’s Bazar, 14 BNP leaders and activists including vice-president of district BNP Advocate Azadur Rahman from Manikganj, 25 Jamaat and two BNP men from Comilla, 12 Jamaat-BNP men from Narail, 15 from Bhola, six from Jhalkathi, eight Jamaat-Shibir men from Satkhira, six from Kushtia, 20 BNP and six Jamaat men from Jessore also were fetained by police.
However, additional police forces were deployed in the important spots of the city. Moreover, the government deployed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel in divisional cities including Dhaka to avert any sabotage.
Pre-hartal violence
Earlier on Sunday evening, three members of a family were burned as some miscreants had thrown a petrol bomb in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in city’s Kazipara area.
Moreover, a rickshaw-puller was injured as a cocktail blasted near Teacher-Student Center (TSC) intersection in Dhaka University in city around 7:30pm Sunday.
The attacks were carried out on the eve of Monday’s nationwide hartal.
Earlier, Khaleda Zia decided to enforce dawn to dusk hartal for Monday after holding a meeting with senior leaders of the alliance her Gulshan office on Saturday evening.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared the hartal.
On Saturday, the 20-party observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Gazipur and staged demonstrations across the country protesting the ban on Khaleda Zia’s rally venue.
The alliance was scheduled to hold the rally at Bhawal Badre Alam Government College ground in Gazipur on Saturday (December 27) demanding holding a fresh election under non-party government.
But the local administration imposed Section 144 on the rally venue that foiled the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s pre-scheduled programme.
BDST: 0829 HRS, DEC 28, 2014 / Update : 0914 HRS
