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Normal life paralysed, businesses hit
Sporadic clashes mark dawn-to-dusk hartal
FE Report
7/5/2006
Sporadic clashes, chase and counter-chase between police and pickets marked the opposition-sponsored dawn-to-dusk nationwide hartal Tuesday that paralysed normal life and affected business activities in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
Pickets clashed with the police and damaged eight CNG-run scooters at Mahakhali and five buses near Bangla College in Mirpur in the morning.
Police beat up pro-hartal activists at different points in the capital leaving over 100 people injured. They also picked up 50 people from city's Bangabandhu Avenue and Russell Square, Mohakhali, Tantibazar and Noor Hossain Square areas.
The 14-party opposition combine, backed by the Awami League (AL), called the day-long shutdown across the country protesting the death of Awami Swechchhasebak League worker Golam Mostafa Milon during the Sunday's road-rail-waterways blockade.
In the capital, motor vehicles including the private cars went off the streets. A good number of rickshaws and a few minibuses were seen plying on the city streets.
River and rail communications were normal.
All educational institutions, super markets and private offices were closed during the hartal.
The AL-backed lawyers brought out a procession from the Judge Court area while Chhatra Sangram Parishad, an alliance of student wing of the 14-party combine, brought out a procession on the Dhaka University campus.
Riot police charged baton on a procession of Jubo Mahila League (JML) at Russel Square leaving some female pickets injured. Police picked up three women JML workers from the spot and beat them while they were being dragged into the police van.
Awami League MPs, led by Col (retd) Farooq Khan, staged a sit-in at the Russel Square in the morning. The authorities deployed more than 8,000 riot police, armed battalion and para-military BDR in the capital to maintain law and order during hartal hours.
Activities at the Chittagong port were partially hampered due to hartal. Loading and unloading of cargoes at the prime port were not disrupted but delivery of the items remained suspended until 2:00pm.
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