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Clashes mark hartal 71 hurt, 150 arrested
By Staff Reporter
Jan 8, 2005, 12:35

Sporadic clashes between police and pickets marked the dawn-to-dusk hartal in the capital and elsewhere in the country yesterday leaving at least 71 persons injured and nearly 150 arrested, organisers of the programme said last evening.

In Dhaka city, the number of injured was 37 while at least 69, including 50 women activists were picked up during the shutdown hours.

The Awami Jubo Mahila League (AJML), youth women front of the Awami League (AL), however, claimed that hundreds of its leaders and activists were arrested across the country. The AL sources, however, did not confirm the AJML’s claim.

The government did not disclose any figure of arrestees, who were picked up during the agitation hours.

Different front organisations of the main opposition Awami League (AL) enforced the countrywide programme to protest the price hike of diesel, petrol and kerosene and demanding the reintroduction of the law ensuring security of the family members of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and enhancing security arrangements for Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina.

The government deployed about 5,000 police and paramilitary Bangladesh Rifle (BDR) personnel in the capital to avert untoward incident during the hartal hours. There was, however, no preemptive arrest this time like that of the previous hartals.

Traffic movement on the streets was albeit more than the previous programme although all educational institutions were closed while most shops, businesses and private offices remained shut during the hratal hours from 6 AM to 6 PM. There was no movement of long-route buses to and from Dhaka.

However, railway and river communications were not affected by the opposition agitation.

Witnesses and police sources said at least 69 people were picked up and 30 hartal activists, mainly female activists, were injured in a number of clashes between pickets and police. Members of the law enforcement agencies charged baton on processions taken out by militant women activists at different areas in the city, including Matijheel, Dhanmondi Russel Square, Muktangon, Paltan, Lalbag and Pallabi.

The activists of AJML were seen in militant mood in Dhanmondi area where police and pickets clashed twice. Twenty-one pro-hartal activists, including 18 female, were picked up as they staged demonstrations in Dhanmondi area to enforce the shutdown.

Protesting what they said police atrocity on women, agitated workers of AL and its front organisations demonstrated outside Dhanmondi police station for several hours from 11am.

AL sources said riot police used clubs to break up a procession of Awami Mahila Juba League near the residence of party leader Mohammad Nasim MP at Dhanmondi at about 10:30 am and picked up 15 demonstrators. After an hour, police again swung into action at Dhanmondi Russell Square at about 11:30 am and picked up six more women workers.

Among others, police arrested Juba Mahila League leaders—Ms Nazma Aktar, Ms Prof Apu Ukil, Ms Advocate Fazilatunnessa Bappi, Ms Ishrat Jahan Nasreen, Ms Chaina Bhuiyan, Ms Sonali Mallik, Ms Sabina Akhtar Tuhin, Ms Nilufar Yasmeen Neelu, Ms Shamima Rahman, Ms Umme Kulsum Sumi, Ms Sahnaz Aktar Sathi, Ms Zakia Sujani Shiuly, Ms Sonia Aktar, Ms Liza Khanam, Ms Nazneen Aktar Chayan and Ms Sultaba Razia Rozina.

AL MPs brought out a procession from Parliament Building and held demonstration at Russel Square at about 11:30am. As people started joining the meeting, police chased and charged baton on the.

AL leaders—Opposition Chief Whip Vice-Principal Abdus Shahid, Abdul Matin Khashru, Shahjahan Khan MP, Panchanon Biswas MP, Abdul Hye MP, Major General (retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan, former MP Abdus Sattar, Begum Ashrafunnesa Mosharraf, Begum Fazilutunnesa Indira, Ajoy Kar Khokon, Maulana ismael Hossain, Prabal Roy and Pran Krishna Roy addressed the rally.

Police also attacked a procession led by Jubo League Chairman Jahangir Kabir Nanok and General Secretary Mirza Azam MP. When police arrested some women activists, Nanok and Azam courted arrest stepping into a police van at about 11am. Police off loaded the two leaders after sometimes.

Witnesses said police clubbed another women’s procession in Paltan area at about 11:30 am. At least 10 activists were picked up from the scene.

City’s Lalbag area was a hotspot for an hour as police and hartal-supporters locked horns at about 10am. Police chased a procession led by former MP Haji Selim there and dispersed them after an hour of chase and counter-chase.

On Dhaka University campus police arrested two leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the students’ front of the AL, when they took out a procession.

Campus sources said police chased the BCL workers as they tried to come out of the Arts Faculty area and arrested Abu Newaj Bilto, a member of the BCL’s DU unit, and Shafiul Alam Noyon, a leader of Rajshahi University unit.

Leaders of the BCL held a rally in front of the main gate of the Arts Faculty, demanding immediate release of those arrested.

According to our correspondents, the hartal was also observed in Chittagong and Manikgonj without any major incidents.

The daylong programme, however, was reduced to a half-day one ending at 12 noon in the port city of Chittagong due for a Grand Conference of Sunni Muslim that was scheduled at Laldighi Maidan.

Traffic on the streets in Chittagong was thin, educational institutions were closed while most shops, business houses and private offices kept their shutters down during the hartal hours. Delivery of goods from the port was disrupted.

Police drove away the hartal activists when they tried to bring out procession from Darul Fazal Market and New Market areas.

Juba League activists held rally in front of the Shaheed Minar.

The duration of the agitation in Manikgonj, however, was not changed and was almost peaceful.


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