DHAKA: The fourth day of the latest round of week-long hartal and the 58th day of non-stop blockade called by BNP-led 20-party alliance are underway amid stray incidents across the country.
Started at 6:00am Sunday, the shutdown was set to continue till Wednesday 6:00am, which was later extended to Friday 6:00am.
Stray acts of sabotages were reported at different places of the country between Tuesday night and Wednesday noon.
In Comilla, miscreants set fire to a truck by hurling petrol bomb in Debidar area of the district early Wednesday that left the truck driver and his helper injured.
At least nine trucks were torched at a truck terminal in Capajnababganj on the wee hours of Wednesday.
Two people were injured when miscreants hurled petrol bombs at a truck in Noakhali.
In Panchagarh, miscreants torched at truck and a BRTC bus parked at Bagduljhula Bazar area in Boda Upazila of the district around 3:45am.
Major portions of the truck and bus were gutted.
Besides, the truck’s owner and diver as well as BRTC bus driver and his helper sustained injuries while jumping off the vehicles.
In Moulvibazar, miscreants set fire to a passenger bus at bus stand in Juri Upazila of the district around 4:00am.
In Narayanganj, a bus driver sustained severe burn injuries when hartal and blockade supporters hurled petrol bomb at a passenger bus in Kalibazar Charargop area of the metropolitan on Tuesday night.
Locals rushed him to 300-bed hospital located in Khanpur area.
Blockade and hartal supporters torched two buses at two separate places of the capital on Tuesday night.
In Chittagong, an apparel worker was injured when hartal supporters exploded cocktails in Garur Bazar area of the port city at night.
Law enforcement agencies, in nightlong drives, rounded up 44 people, including 13 leaders-activists of BNP-Jamaat, from different places of Dhaka, Moulvibazar and Narial districts.
Meanwhile, police recovered 15 cocktails from KharKhori area of Rajshahi city around 5:00am.
A total of 266 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed on Wednesday across the country to thwart sabotages amid nationwide hartal and non-stop blockade
On Tuesday, BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of the alliance, declared that they have extended their ongoing 72-hour hartal to 6:00am Friday.
Earlier, the BNP leader announced the sixth spell of shutdown through issuing statement last Friday (February 27).
The statement says that the fresh shutdown was called in demand of holding free and fair general election under a nonpartisan government, and releasing all detained leaders and political prisoners of the alliance.
The alliance also came up with the shutdown in protest of extra juridical killings allegedly carried out by law enforcing agencies across the country, it adds.
In previous five weeks, country witnessed a series of shutdowns, which were followed by a two-day break during the weekends only.
In addition to the hartal, a nationwide blockade is underway for indefinite period since Khaleda announced the blockade on January 5 protesting government’s bar to obverse the ‘democracy killing day’ and her ‘confinement’ to Gulshan political office.
On that day, incumbent Awami League government marked the first year of its 5-year tenure since it takes office through January 5 polls, which BNP boycotted.
BDST: 0825/1250 HRS, MAR 04, 2015
** Hartal extended for 48-hr
