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| Bangladesh |
| 76 hurt on first day of BNP hartal |
| 2013-03-19 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Sporadic incidents of violence marked the first day of the BNP-led alliance's 36-hour hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... , as pickets blasted crude bombs, and carried out arson and vandalism in the capital and other parts of the country yesterday. A truck driver, who came under attack from pro-hartal pickets in Feni early yesterday, succumbed to his wounds after six hours of the incident. Pro-hartal activists clashed with law enforcers and ruling party men in eight districts, leaving injured at least 76 people, including eight coppers, according to reports received from our correspondents. In Dhaka, pickets torched five vehicles at Panthapath, Pallabi, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, and Khilgaon, and vandalised 20 more at Shyampur, Jatrabari, Pallabi, Demra, Khilgaon, Shyamoli, Gabtoli, Bongshal, Dainik Bangla intersection, Kamalapur, Shajahanpur, Tejgaon and Karwan Bazar. They went kaboom!more than 50 cocktails and bombs in different places in the capital. A bomb was blasted in front of Rokeya Hall at Dhaka University. An employee of a distribution agency for Unilever Bangladesh sustained severe burns after pickets set alight his pick-up van with kerosene at Khilgaon around 2:00pm. Dhaka Metropolitan Police enjugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! at least 46 pro-hartal pickets in the capital yesterday. Meanwhile, ...back at the revival hall, Buford bit the snake and Eloise began speaking in tongues... acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the hartal was successful despite "the arrests and the government's repression on the opposition". Speaking at a press briefing at BNP's Nayapaltan office, he claimed around 400 opposition activists were maimed and at least 500 others were locked away Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! across the country on the first day of the hartal. The 18-party alliance enforced the shutdown, demanding the release of 154 BNP leaders and activists, who were arrested on March 11 from BNP's Nayapaltan office. Police, Rab and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel were deployed at all key points in the capital to maintain law and order. Traffic was thin on city roads, as owners preferred to keep their vehicles off the streets fearing vandalism and arson. Educational institutions, shopping malls and roadside shops also remained shut. Truck driver Noor Mohammad, 34, from Barisal, who was maimed in an arson attack by hartal supporters in Feni, departed this vale of tears at Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 9:00am. Police and witnesses said BNP supporters blocked Feni-Noakhali road by putting logs at Dagonbhuiyan upazila around 3:00am. When Noor's truck carrying flour of Globe Company reached the spot, hartal supporters chased the truck and hurled brick chips at the vehicle. Noor suffered serious injuries in the head and was rushed to Feni Sadar Hospital. He was later shifted to CMCH, as his condition deteriorated. |
| Posted by:Fred |