DHAKA: The 48-hour hartal and indefinite blockade, called by BNP led 18-party alliance, is underway simultaneously protesting unilateral polls in the country amid stray incidents of violence.

Blockade supporters torched several polling centers and set fire to vehicles and blasted cocktails across the country to create panic among the people to refrain them from going to vote centers.  

Vehicles torched, cocktails blast

Four cocktails were exploded at the house of headmaster of a high school in Charghat upazila of Rajshahi at around 8:30pm.

BNP-Jamaat men set fire to a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar at around 8:00am.

Miscreants torched a covered van in Kaliganj upazila of Gazipur at around 9:30am.

18-party men vandalized and set fire to Chetana-71 office in Rajshahi city and torched a truck on Rajshahi-Dhaka highway at around 10:30pm.

A bus carrying workers was torched by miscreants near to Army camp in Savar at around 10:00pm.

A pick-up van was set fire by miscreants in Bheramara upazila  and exploded couple of cocktails in the district town between 8:00pm and 10:00pm.

Four cocktails were blasted in deputy commissioner’s office and Mithapukur par areas in Bagerhat district town at around 10:45pm.

Set fire at polling centers

Two polling centers in city’s Uttara were torched by miscreants at 9:30pm.
Miscreants torched four polling centers in Khulna between 8pm and 10pm Friday.

Two voting centers were torched in Domar upazila of Nilphamari and miscreants hurled cocktails at office of Domar upazila Awami League between 8pm and 10pm Friday.

Besides, one vote center was set afire in Babuganj upazila of Barisal at around 9.30pm.

Another polling center was torched in Shoilakupa upazila of Jhenidah at around 12:30am Saturday.  

48-hour nationwide hartal

The 48-hour hartal, called by BNP led 18-party alliance, started from Saturday 6:00am and will continue till 6:00am Monday protesting the 10th parliamentary elections.

Two more poling centers were torched in Jhenidah early Saturday.

Besides, miscreants set fire to a vote center in Motbaria upazila of Pirojpur at around 5:45am.

Earlier on Friday evening, Dr Osman Faruk, Adviser to opposition BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, made the announcement at a press conference at Gulshan in the city.

BDST: 0948 HRS, JAN 04, 2014
Edited by: SM. Mostafijur Rahman Nasim, Newsroom Editor/ Rubaiat Saky, Senior Newsroom Editor