Stray incidents mark 2nd day hartal

Stray incidents marked the last day of the second spell of the nationwide daylong hartal yesterday enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance. The shutdown was enforced to protest the government’s ‘failure to return’ BNP leader M Ilias Ali and his driver who remained missing since April 17 midnight. After the expiry of the second spell of hartal, the 18-party alliance announced a countrywide demonstration pro-gram for Wednesday to protest the filing of “false” cases against their leaders and activists, and demand the re-turn of missing BNP organizing secretary M Ilias Ali. BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the program at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapal-tan central office in the afternoon. According to reports from across the country, the opposition-sponsored nationwide general strike ended on Monday with stray clashes between pickets and law enforcers and detention of a few opposition activists.

Rizvi at the briefing claimed that a number of opposition leaders and activists were injured in police attacks during the hartal. Police also detained a good number of pickets, he added without mentioning the number.

In the capital, the presence of opposition leaders and activists was thin on the streets on Monday during the hartal hours.

Police obstructed BNP men as they tried to bring out a procession in front of the BNP headquarters in the morning.

Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, with the help of law enforcers also barred the opposition men from taking out a procession in the city’s Adabar area. Police detained a BNP activist from the spot.

Pro-hartal activists set fire to a pickup van near Dainik Bangla crossing in the city at about 1:30pm.

Two crude bombs were exploded at Mouchak Crossing at about 9:30am while another three near Kamalapur Railway Station at about 12:30pm.

Meanwhile, police picked up BNP’s former deputy minister for health Sirajul Haque from Nayapaltan area around 7:40am.

Police conducted a search at the residence of BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in the city’s Uttara area early Monday.

Besides, Fakhrul along with other leaders of the 18-party alliance has been sued inconnection with hurling bombs at the Secretariat.

Party sources said police went to the house of Fakhrul in the wee small hours and searched all the rooms of his house.

However, police made no arrest or recovery during the raid when the BNP acting secretary general was not at the house. Two cases have been filed in connection with the torching of a vehicle near the Prime Minister’s Office and hurling bombs at the Secretariat during the hartal hours on Sunday.

A case was filed with Tejgaon Police Station against 38 leaders and activists of the main opposition BNP, including Amanullah Aman and Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, on Sunday night in connection with the torching of the vehicle.

Another case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station in connection with the bomb blasts near the Home Ministry at the Secretariat where 28 named leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance and some unnamed people were made accused.

Almost all modes of vehicles, except rickshaws and a few CNG-run auto-rickshaws, stayed off the streets fearing vandalism. All educational institutions, business establishments, most shops and shopping malls in the city remained closed. But the government offices remained opened as usual.

Riot police were posted at different important points in the capital. Like the previous spell of hartal, law enforcers kept the BNP central office at Nayapaltan cordoned off since the morning. No BNP leader and activist were allowed to enter the office.

In Khulna, at least 10 people were injured as police clashed with pro-hartal activists atTV Boundary Road, Haji Mohsin Road and Daulatpur of the city in the morning.

Police detained 14 BNP ward-level leaders and activists from Kotwali and Sonadangathana areas while they were picketing. In Noakhali, police arrested nine BNP activists from different parts of the district on Sunday night. The BNP-led 18-party alliance called the dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday and Monday as the government has failed to rescue BNP organising secretary and ex-MP Ilias Ali and his driver, Ansar Ali, by Saturday, a deadline set earlier by BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Background:
Former MP and BNP secretary M Ilias Ali and his driver Ansar Ali went missing on April 17 midnight from the capital.

Ilias Ali's wife Tahsina Rushdir said her husband left their Banani residence on that night and has been missing since then along with his driver. His car was found abandoned on a street near his Banani residence early Wednesday.

BNP blames the ruling party men and security agencies for the mysterious disappearance’ of Ilias and his driver. But the government denies the allegation.

Earlier, the main opposition enforced hartal for three days on the trot on April 22-24 to press for the return of Ilias.

The party also held countrywide demonstrations on Thursday and Saturday.