Three truckers burnt to death

Staff Correspondent

Five more people were burnt to death in transport arsons and a youth was killed in police ‘shootout’ on Saturday raising the death toll from violence to 83 in 33 days since the indefinite blockade was enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance on January 5.Of the five victims, three died in a firebomb attack on a truck by suspected blockaders in Barisal early Saturday, while two people, who had suffered fatal burns in Friday night’s bus arson in Gaibandha, died in Rangpur Medical College Hospital on Saturday morning pushing the death toll from the deadly attack to seven.In addition to the blockade, the BNP-led alliance has announced a 72-hour countrywide hartal beginning this morning in protest at killing of ‘numerous’ opposition leaders and activists in the name of crossfire and demanding ‘restoration’ of democracy.Islami Chhatra Shibir, student front of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has also called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for today protesting at killing and arrests of its activists.BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, on Saturday called upon the alliance men and the people to observe the 72-hour hartal all over the country along with the nonstop blockade until ‘victory’ was achieved in the ‘movement for freeing democracy’.Miscreants set two buses on fire at Rayerbagh and Tejgaon industrial area in the capital after sunset on Saturday. The miscreants also blasted a number of crude bombs at Shahbagh, Bakshibazar leaving at least five people injured.New Age Barisal correspondent reported that suspected blockaders hurled a firebomb at a truck at Mahilara in Gaurnadi upazila on Dhaka-Barisal highway around 5:00am, said Sajjad Hossain, officer-in-charge of Gaurnadi police station.The driver and his two assistants were taken to Gaurnadi health complex where they were declared dead.

The deceased were identified as truck driver Ijadul Islam, 35, from Badarpur of Barisal Sadar upazila, his father-in-law Motaleb Sheikh, 65, and helper Munnu Mia, 45, from Mollabari Road of Faridpur district town.The death toll from the night-time arson on highway in Gaibandha reached seven, including two children and as many women, as two more victims, Sona Bhan, 40, wife of Tara Miah of Chandipur under Sundarganj upazila in Gaibanda,  and Saju Miah, 35, of Sadullahpur  in the district died in RMCH on Saturday , confirmed the hospital director, Abdul Kader Khan.The deceased in the Gaibandha bus arson attack are – Sujan, 10, son of Tara Miah, Syed Ali, 42, Shilpi Rani, 10, Sumon Miah, 22, Halima Khatun, 42, Sona Bhan, 40, Saju Miah, 35.On the other hand, a youth named Bachchu, 26, was killed in police ‘shootout’ at Swarupkathi in Pirojpur on Saturday afternoon.Bachchu, son of Abdul Jabbar of Auria village in Swarupkathi upazila, was a tea vendor in Dhaka, locals said.Transport owners said transports were operating in lesser numbers on inter-district and long routes in daytime during the blockade, but, they said on Saturday, they would not operate buses on highways at night from now on.Trains were still running behind their schedules only after advance checks of tracks following several incidents of derailment due to sabotage.Though most of the schools in the capital remained closed during the blockade, the Secondary School Certificate examination was held in tight security on Saturday.New Age Bogra correspondent reported that miscreants hurled firebombs at a truck at Rupihar on Bogra-Natore highway on Saturday night leaving all four people on board, including the driver, injured.Shajahanpur police officer-in-charge Abdul Mannan gave the identities of three victims as driver Mostafa, Wazid Molla and Jahangir. The name of the fourth victim could not be known immediately.Our Sirajganj correspondent said miscreants hurled a crude bomb on the premises of Ullapara police station around 7:30pm on Saturday when police personnel were playing badminton there. No casualties were reported.In Narayanganj, suspected blockaders threw a firebomb at a truck carrying rice at Kandua in Rupganj on Dhaka-Sylhet highway early Saturday, leaving its driver badly burnt, reported our correspondent.He was rushed to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. His helper suffered minor injuries.Two trucks were set on fire in Palashbari in Gaibandha, a bus torched at Brahmanbazar in Moulvibazar and two cars were damaged in Sonaimuri in Noakhali. Miscreants also set fire to a saw-mill in Dinajpur.In the capital, police sergeant Golam Mawla was injured when pro-blockade pickets blasted a crude bomb at Shyamoli.The pickets brought out a flash procession near Shishu Mela when police chased them.They blasted a crude bomb while fleeing leaving the policeman injured. He was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital.Chhatra Shibir central human rights affairs secretary Mahfuzul Haque was shot at allegedly by the police during a flash procession in Kalabagan area in the morning. The police also arrested another Shibir man on the spot.Islami Chhatra Shibir in a statement on Saturday alleged that police denied having arrested four of their activists after picking them up from Shyamoli area.The activists allegedly picked up by police were Jasim Uddin, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute student Sajib, Dhaka City College student Abdul Mannan and Abdullah.In another incident, two motorcyclists were shot in the legs in the city after locals handed them over to police on suspicion the two might have been involved in a crude bomb attack on a bus at Bangabazar. They were identified as Abdur Rahman and Mominur Rahman Momin.Abdur Rahman, 33, claimed that he was an expatriate in Singapore and was going to Keraniganj when pedestrians caught him.The number of commuter buses plying the city streets was less than usual. Rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws dominated the streets.The blockade has caused short supply of groceries and vegetables in the city, pushing their prices up.New Age correspondent from different districts reported that law enforcers in their drives rounded up around 200 suspected opposition activists on Friday and Saturday.Of them, 14 were arrested in the capital, 25 in Chittagong, 12 in Brahmanbaria, 12 in Lalmonirhat, 10 in Chandpur, eight in Jhalakati, eight in Gazipur, three in Jhenaidah, one in Mymensingh, 10 in Dinajpur, 20 in Manikganj, 19 Habiganj, 10 in Cox’s Bazar, 33 in Khulna, 12 in Bogra, two in Magura and two, including a former municipality mayor, in Sirajganj.New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet reported Shibir activists vandalised seven vehicles, including a car in Sylhet city on Saturday afternoon.
Munshiganj correspondent reported the local unit of Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, BNP volunteers’ wing, called dawn-to-dusk general strike in the district for today.

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