12 held, 10 injured during hartal
At least 12 people were arrested and 10 were injured as police clashed with pickets during half-day hartal enforced by left parties in Dhaka on Tuesday protesting at the price hike of gas.
After the six-hour general strike, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, the Socialist Party of Bangladesh and Democratic Left Alliance, a platform of eight left parties, announced fresh programmes including laying siege to the energy and mineral resources ministry on March 15.
Traffic in the city streets was thin during the hartal hours compared with other working days. Many educational institutions, mostly English-medium schools, remained closed. Shops and markets remained closed at places in the city during the general strike.
Police arrested 10 leaders and activists of different left leaning student organisations, including Samajtantrik Chhatra Front faction general secretary Nasir Uddin Prince, at Shahbagh and two others at Shantinagar.
Police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells and sprayed water through water cannon to disperse the pickets in Shahbagh crossing at about 10:30am as the protesters obstructed traffic blocking roads led to the crossing.
At least 10 protesters sustained minor injuries in the police attacks on pickets at Shahbagh.
Leaders and activists of Pragatishil Chhatra Jote, a platform of left leaning student organisations, took to the streets as the general strike began at 6:00am.
The protesters brought out processions that paraded different roads including Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, Elephant Road and Dhaka University campus in support of the strike.
Police first swopped on the protesters in Shahbag crossing at about 7:30am when the pickets set tires on fire and tried to obstruct traffic blockading the roads led to the crossing.
Police again swooped on the protesters at about 10:30am leaving at least 10 injured as the protesters continued picketing in Shahbag crossing.
Leaders and activists of the two left parties and the alliance took to the street in Paltan crossing at 6:00am. Later, they brought out processions that paraded different roads, protesting at the fresh gas price hike.
The left parties and alliance announced the fresh simultaneous 15-day programmes demanding withdrawal of the gas price hike from separate rallies in front of the National Press Club after the hartal ended at noon.
SPB general secretary Khalequzzaman said that the government increased the gas prices only to discourage the use of pipeline gas to implement its ill motive to increase the sale of cylinder gas.
He urged the government to cancel the increased prices of gas by March 15 and threatened to go for tougher movement.
The chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan, a component of DLA, Zonayed Saki, said that the government tried to foil their strike but bowed to the boldness of their leaders and activists.
He said that Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission was created in the public interest but it was now acting against public by ‘illogically’ hiking the gas prices ignoring public opinion.
According to commission decision, prices of kitchen gas will be increased to Tk 750 from Tk 600 for a single burner and Tk 800 from Tk 650 for double burners for a month from today.
The commission also announced that gas prices would be increased again to Tk 900 for single burners and Tk 950 for double burners from June 1.
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