Hartal ends with stray incidents in 5 districts

 

Islami Chhatra Shibir activists block Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj highway after setting fire to a tyre during hartal hours on Wednesday. 

The half-day hartal separately enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami, Shibir and BCL ended with some stray incidents in Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Tangail and Laxmipur on Wednesday.
The pro-hartal activists vandalised at least 11 vehicles in Natore and Chapainawabganj.
The pickets blasted several cocktails during a clash with policemen in Laxmipur during the six-hour hartal till noon. Five people were injured during the clash.

Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, observed the eight-hour shutdown in Rajshahi, Natore and Chapainawabganj demanding release of their its central social welfare affairs secretary and former Rajshahi city unit president Mostafizur Rahman, central office secretary Atiqur Rahman.
Jamaat-Shibir enforced the hartal in Laxmipur, home district of Atiqur, demanding his immediate release, reports our Noakhali correspondent.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling Awami League, observed the hartal till 2:00pm in Tangail protesting the killing of one of its leaders.
In Rajshahi, the hartal supporters could not take to the street as huge contingents of law enforcers were deployed at all the key points and roads, reports our Rajshahi correspondent.
Besides, police on Tuesday banned all kinds of gatherings and rallies in Rajshahi city area from 6:00am to 10:00pm on Wednesday.
In Natore, the hartal supporters vandalised nearly 10 vehicles in Lalpur, Baraigram and Singra upazilas in the morning.
Vehicles remained off the road fearing vandalism, reports our correspondent.
In Chapainawabganj, the Shibir men staged demonstrations by burning tyres on road in different places of the district town in the morning. However, police dispersed them soon.
A chase and counter-chase also took place between law enforcers and Shibir leaders and activists when the Shibir men tried to bring out a procession at Shibtala area around 10:00am, reports our Chapainawabganj correspondent. No casualties were reported.
Pickets vandalised a truck at Swarupnagar area in the district around 11:15am.
Earlier on Tuesday night, police picked up at least seven activists of Jamaat and Shibir from Nachole, Gomastapur, Bholahat and Shibirganj upazilas in the district.
During the BCL-enforced the hartal in Tangail, the party activists blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway near Rabna bypass area nearly one hour from 10:00am by setting fire to tyres, halting the traffic movement on the highway.
Police rushed in and disperse the agitators from the highway around 11:00am, said Kamruzzaman Raz, a sub-inspector of Elenga Highway police.
The SI said the BCL men blocked the highway although the road was purview of the hartal.
Vehicles stayed off the road while shops remained closed.
The BCL called the shutdown protesting the killing of its leader Abdul Kader Bapon, 24, who was under life support and died on Tuesday.
Bapon, district BCL organising secretary, was injured in an attack on a BCL procession brought out in the district town protesting the killing of Awami League leader Faruque Ahmed on January 20, died at a hospital in the capital on Tuesday evening.
In Laxmipur, the Jamaat’s student wing observed the shutdown in the district demanding the release of three party men including Atiqur.
A team of DB police arrested the three activists, including Atiqur, central office secretary of Shibir, from Dhanmondi area in the capital on Monday.
At least four Shibir men and a policeman were injured in a clash in district town bus terminal area during the hartal hours.
The clash took place when police resisted a procession brought out by Shibir activists at the terminal around 7:00am, reports our Noakhali correspondent.
Shibir men blasted several cocktails and hurled brick chips on the law enforcers during the clash, leaving Shahadat Hossain, a sub-inspector of Laxmipur Sadar Police Station, injured.
Police lobbed several tear shells to disperse the activists.
Shibir men also set fire to tyres on the different roads of the district.
Additional police were deployed at different key points to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, local administration issued section 144 from 8:00am to 10:00pm for Wednesday at Raipur upazila as Shibir and Jubo League men called separate meetings at a field of local Alia Madrasa at the same time.