Yet another train derailed yesterday as alleged blockaders removed fishplates and clips from tracks in Mirsharai of Chittagong, leaving at least 10 people injured.

The incident forced the railway authorities to cancel trips of five trains from the port city to different destinations, causing immense sufferings to hundreds of passengers.

Rail communications between Chittagong and other parts of the country remained suspended for around 11 hours.

Earlier, four similar incidents took place in Comilla, Joypurhat, Moulvibazar and Brahmanbaria, leading to the collapse of train schedule. The railway is still struggling to fix it.

In another act of sabotage yesterday, alleged pro-blockade pickets threw petrol bombs on a train in Gazipur. At least four passengers were wounded.

Four youths hurled two petrol bombs at Jamalpur Commuter Express around 5:30pm when it reached near Sreepur Railway Station from Dhaka, said witnesses.

One of the bombs exploded. Passengers Md Hossain and Kazim Uddin suffered burns while Afaz Uddin and Mafiz Uddin were hurt as they jumped off the running train.

Seriously wounded Hossain and Kazim were being brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital last night.

Meanwhile, two more persons, including a local Jamaat leader, died in Laxmipur and Sirajganj early yesterday, taking the death toll to 40 in political violence since the BNP-led combine announced indefinite nationwide blockade on January 5.

In the capital, rickshaw-puller Abdul Malek and passenger Md Ali were injured in a crude bomb blast at Nawabpur in Old Dhaka yesterday, the second day of the BNP-led alliance's 72-hour hartal on top of the blockade.

Alleged blockaders torched three buses in the evening. They set fire to a BRTC double-decker bus at Mirpur-11, a New Pallabi Paribahan bus at Mirpur-1 and another bus of Bihanga Paribahan at Gulshan-1.

In the port city, the locomotive and two coaches of Mymensingh Express went off the tracks on its way to Chittagong around 3:30am after "miscreants" removed fishplates and clips in Barotakia area of Mirsharai, said Mozammel Haque, general manager of Bangladesh Railway (east zone).

This was a major act of sabotage since the government deployed more than 8,000 Ansar and VDP members at 1,041 risky points across the country on January 12 to check subversive activities.

Rail communications between Chittagong and other parts resumed around 2:30pm after a relief train salvaged the derailed engine and carriages, said Firoz Iftekhar, Chittagong divisional transportation officer of the railway (east zone).

A five-member committee headed by the divisional transportation officer was formed to probe the incident.

In Chittagong city, pro-blockade pickets exploded a crude bomb in front of the new court building around 3:30pm.

A pick-up carrying vegetables was torched at Fateyabad of Hathazari while two auto-rickshaws were vandalised in the area.

In Sholoshahar area, three cocktails were hurled at a city bus around 8:00am. None was hurt.

In Laxmipur, suspected blockaders threw a petrol bomb at a CNG-run auto-rickshaw around 10:30pm on Sunday when the vehicle carrying Md Liton and his three relatives reached South Mojupur Mohila College.

All four passengers suffered burns in the attack.

Locals took them to Laxmipur Sadar Hospital. Doctors there referred Liton to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

But Liton died around 3:00am while he was being brought to the capital by an ambulance.

In Sirajganj, local Jamaat leader Saidul Islam, who was injured during a drive by law enforcers, died at a hospital early yesterday.

Police said they conducted a drive at Bakua village of Ullahpara upazila where some Jamaat leaders were holding a secret meeting on Sunday night.

Sensing law enforcers' presence, the Jamaat men threw several crude bombs at police, forcing them to open fire.

Saidul, secretary of Jamaat's Bakua union unit, and four cops were hurt in the incident. Police arrested Saidul and recovered three crude bombs.

The injured Jamaat leader, who was admitted to Sirajganj General Hospital, died around 2:30am.

Saidul was accused in 11 cases, and two arrest warrants were issued against him, said Tajul Huda, officer-in-charge of Ullapara Police Station.

The local unit of Jamaat called a daylong hartal in Sirajganj for tomorrow.

In Noakhali, two activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, were held with petrol bombs and cocktails when they tried to torch a three-wheeler at Napiter Pool.