Last day of 84-hr hartal underway
DHAKA, Nov 13, 2013 – The 84-hour nationwide shutdown (hartal), enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, today entered the 4th and concluding day (today) with reports of two dead in Bogra and train derailment due to removing fishplate at Lalmonirhat and stray untoward incidents in the capital and some other parts of the country
Meanwhile, the non-stop strike affected little the normal life as many vehicles including some private ones, were out on the city streets visibly defying the hartal, called by the opposition alliance demanding non-party party polls-time government and immediate release of their detained party leaders and activities.
The 84-hour strike will end at 6 o’clock this evening.
Our Bogra Correspondent reports: Two passengers of vegetables- laden truck died and two others received injuries as a Dhaka-bound truck early today overturned after being chased by hartal pickets at Chhonka area on Dhaka-Bogra highway under Sherpur police station.
“The ill-fated vegetables traders — Ziaur Rahman ,35, of Bhabanipur and Asadul Islam , 45, of Bagra area — died on the spot while two others were admitted into Sherpur Health Complex,” the officer-in-charge of Sherpur police station, Aminul Islam, told BSS.
In Lalmonirhat, about 20 passengers were injured as a passengers train derailed after hartal pickets removed fishplate from railway tracks in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat in the wee hours of today, police and witnesses said
“The locomotive and two compartments of Lalmonirhat-bound passenger train Commuter 72-UP from Burimari Land Port derailed in the middle of Tusbhandar and Kakina railway stations around 2:40am snapping rail communication between Lalmonirhat and Burimari since early morning,” Lalmonirhat Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Habibur Rahman told BSS over phone from the accident place.
He said pro-hartal activists removed clips from 42-foot railway tracks on the last day of 84-hour hartal. “The injured were admitted to the local health complex. The train operation is yet to resume as salvage campaign still continues in presence of the railways high officials”, Mr Rahman added.
A spokesman of railway control room said it is expected to take at least seven hours to repair the railway tracks. In old Dhaka, a 55-year old Begum Safura was injured as a bomb exploded in front of her residence at 76/1, Tareker Gali of Khaje Dewan Road under Chawkbazar police station at about 10:30am, police and witnesses said. She was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital with serious burn injuries at 11am, hospital sources said.
Meanwhile, the reports of some sporadic incidents including vandalism, torching vehicles and explosions of crude bombs were received from Dhaka , Chittagong, Laxmipur, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Feni, Barisal and some other places.
In the capital, all government offices, including business and other financial institutions, are reportedly doing its routine activities defying hartal call. According to reports reached here, city dwellers apparently witnessed a little traffic tailback, even on the hartal day, at Jatrabari, Gulistan, Paltan, Motijheel, Farmgate, Mirpur and some other intersections as huge number of public transports, rickshaws and three-wheeler auto-rickshaws are dominating the city streets.
Sources said the stoppage, however, kept educational institutions, roadside shopping malls and some private offices closed but the shutdown affected little the countrywide train services, flight operations on domestic and international routes and launch services.
Meanwhile, no buses of long-routes left the Syedabad, Gabtoli, Fakirapool, Paltan, Mohakhali and some others areas fearing vandalism during the hartal. Earlier, the BNP-led 18-party alliance had enforced two Spells of 60-hour hartal on October 27-29 and November 4-6 for the same demand claiming several lives and many others injured.
eNewsDesk
