Opposition strike disrupts life in Bangladesh
By Saleem Samad
DHAKA: A daylong strike called by the opposition Awami League (AL) against alleged government harassment and lawlessness disrupted normal life and businesses in Bangladesh on Thursday.
The AL enforced the hartal (shutdown) after the ultimatum of the party’s demand for an end to terrorism, corruption, price-hikes and repression expired.
The ruling coalition government ignored the demands and called them “political threats to destabilise the nation”. Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina said the pro-right government of Khaleda Zia should be done away with.
Home Minister Air Marshal (r) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury told the parliament on Wednesday that all necessary measures had been taken so that the opposition could not create any problems in the name of hartal. “Necessary measures have been taken so that people cannot be made hostage and their life and property are not damaged,” he added.
Witnesses said the police and opposition activists clashed in Dhaka leaving dozens of people wounded and many arrested. Riot police used batons to disperse brick-throwing activists near the AL central office, Dhaka University, uptown Mirpur and downtown Motojheel.
AL leader Saber Hossain Chowdhury, along with dozens of opposition activists, was injured following clashes between them and the police. He was rushed to the hospital. AL MP Ahsanullah Master was also injured. Police picked up several AL leaders including Prof Nazma Rahman and Habibur Rahman Molla while they were protesting in front of the AL office in the morning. Shops, schools, business centres and private offices were closed and cars kept off the roads during the hartal. Attendance in government offices was thin and commercial banks were open but did little business.