Vandalism, arson and cocktail blasts took place at different parts of the capital and elsewhere in the country during the dawn-to-dusk hartal for a third consecutive day on Tuesday.
Incidents of police resistance to processions and detention of opposition activists were also reported during the nationwide shutdown demanding that the government trace BNP leader M Ilias Ali and his driver.
The violence happened at different places in the city including Rajarbagh, Agargaon, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Malibagh, Bangla Motor intersection, Karwan Bazar, Dhanmondi and Jatrabari.
Three cocktails went off at Rajarbagh around 8:15am leaving two police personnel injured. Two more cocktails exploded at Maghbazar around 1:30pm while another blast took place near Gulshan crossing in the morning.
In Mohakhali, a section of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists brought out a procession in the morning and vandalised five vehicles there. A human hauler was also vandalised in Malibagh railgate area in the morning.
JCD activists of Dhaka University unit also ransacked at least four buses at Bangla Motor intersection around 11:00am.
The pro-hartal pickets also vandalised a vehicle of private television channel Independent on Gulshan Link Road in the morning.
Meanwhile, pro-hartal pickets torched a private car at Karwan Bazar around 7:15am and another stationary minibus near Mahila Polytechnic Institute of Agargaon around 10:15am.
Police also dispersed several pro-hartal rallies in different points of the city including Dhanmondi, Motijheel, Fakirerpool and Kalabagan.
At around 3:45pm, picketers set fire to a human hauler in front of Dhakeshwari temple and beat up the driver mercilessly.
The vehicle was going to Chawk Bazaar from New Market, driver Md Bulbul, 28, told The Daily Star at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Bulbul sustained injuries when the BNP activists numbering 20 to 25 hurled brick bats towards the human hauler.
As soon as he stopped the vehicle, picketers ejected him from the human hauler, beat him up and set it on fire.
In Dhanmondi Road No 1 police dispersed a BNP procession led by former state minister for housing and public works Abdul Mannan Khan around 1:30pm.
The law enforcers also detained two pickets from the procession while another pro-hartal activist was detained during a chase and counter-chase between pro-hartal activists and law enforcers in another part of Dhanmondi.
Four pickets were detained from Mirpur Section - 10 roundabout while they were attempting to set fire to a bus around 11:30am.
In South Jatrabari, a police constable sustained injuries during chase and counter-chase between pro-hartal activists and law enforcers during hartal hour in the morning.
The incident of chase and counter-chase took place when police resisted a procession there.
In protest, the pickets pelted brick chips on the law enforcers, forcing them to fire two blank shots. Constable Anwar Hossain sustained injuries during the clash.
A number of BNP leaders and workers gathered in front of their Nayapaltan central office in the capital since morning. But they could not bring out any procession or held rally due to police obstruction.
Police like the recent hartal days virtually cordoned off the BNP’s main office since 6:00am, the starting time of hartal.
The main opposition BNP and its allies extended the hartal for Tuesday that started on Sunday on the issue of disappearance of Ilias.
Huge contingents of law enforcers are seen patrolling the streets at all key points of the city to maintain law and order during the hartal hours.
The number of passenger buses, CNG-run three-wheeler seen plying in the city streets are more than the last two hartal days.
Rickshaws like other hartal days are found dominating the main thoroughfares of the city.
Meanwhile, the government postponed today's several examinations including Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations due to the hartal.
CHITTAGONG
Police picked up six leaders and activists of city unit Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal including its Senior Joint Secretary Jasmina Khanam and ward councillor Monowara Begum Moni when they tried to bring out a procession at Agrabad around 9:50am.
Besides, police picked up one picket when he and his associates set fire to a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on C&B Road in the port city.
In another incident, the driver of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw sustained severe burn injuries in his face when unknown criminals hurled a cocktail on his vehicle on C&B Road around 10:00am.
“Injured driver, Niaz, is undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital,” Arefin Jewel, assistant commissioner of Double Mooring zone) told The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, police picked up six other people from Kadamtoli and Chandgaon areas in the city.
RAJSHAHI
At least 14 BNP activists including a ward councillor of Rajshahi City Corporation were detained from different points of Rajshahi city.
The detention was made when a section of BNP activists came in procession and started to vandalise the building of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries around 10:30am.
Police chased them and picked up several pickets including Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal Rajshahi unit joint secretaries Advocate Rowshan Ara Popy and Anju Ahmed.
Earlier, police also chased another procession led by Nadim Mostafa, president of Rajshahi district BNP, and dispersed it around 8:00am near the fire brigade intersection.
Police also dispersed another procession chasing it in the city’s Kazirganj area around 6:30am.
MUNSHIGANJ
Police picked up three pickets when they were blocking road by torching tyres on Bank Chattar in the town, said Ismat Ara, duty officer of Sadar Police Station.
DINAJPUR
At least 20 people were injured and 10 motorcycles were burnt to ashes during a clash between BNP-Jamaat activists and Awami League men in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur on Tuesday.
Witnesses said the incident took place when the AL men brought out an anti-hartal procession at Raniganj Bazar in the upazila and confronted the BNP activists.
The BNP-Jamaat activists attacked the AL activists, prompting the clash that ended with the injuries and arson.
BACKGROUND
M Ilias Ali, a former lawmaker and now Sylhet Division organising secretary of the party, and his driver went missing around midnight of April 17.
On Wednesday, police found Ilias's private car abandoned near his Banani residence in the capital and that day BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday.
After wrapping up Sunday's hartal, the BNP and its allies extended the shutdown for Monday.
In the same way, on Monday the hartal was extended for Tuesday.
NARAYANGANJ
Police detained five pickets after opposition activists brought out a procession in Narayanganj around 9:00am in support of the general strike.
NARSINGDI
Police obstructed a procession led by Khairul Kabir Khokon, BNP Narsingdi district president, at Chinishpur in support of the shutdown.
The agitated pickets then damaged a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and burnt tyres on the road in front of Titas Gas office at Chinishpur.
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