BNP goes for fresh 2-day blockade from Nov 5

The BNP yesterday announced a fresh two-day nationwide blockade of rail, road and waterways from November 5 demanding general election under a non-party caretaker government.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the BNP, announced the fresh programme at a virtual press briefing, hours before its 72-hour blockade ended at 6:00am today.

Torching and vandalising of vehicles were reported in the capital and elsewhere in the county yesterday, the last day of the three-day blockade.

Also, over 100 BNP leaders and activists, including some arson suspects, have been detained across the country over the last two days, police said.

More vehicles plied the streets of the capital yesterday compared to the previous two days. The number of long-haul buses also increased on roads. Train services remained almost normal.

The BNP and its likeminded parties enforced the blockade from Tuesday protesting police action on their demonstrations and arrests of their activists. Jamaat -e-Islami also separately called a three-day countrywide blockade.

Yesterday, arsonists set three buses on fire in the capital's Azampur, Bakshibazar and Mohammadpur areas. Two trucks were torched and a number of vehicles were vandalised in Narayanganj.

A bus was set ablaze and two more were vandalised in Chattogram. Unidentified attackers also torched a bus in Netrakona and a truck in Bogura.

According to Fire Service, arsonists torched at least 18 buses, nine trucks, a car, three motorcycles, two commercial showrooms and a police box from Tuesday till yesterday evening.

At least 14 cases have been filed with different police stations of Dhaka Metropolitan Police in connection with violence and sabotage activities over the last two days, according to DMP.

Police arrested 96 people in the capital on Wednesday.

In Narayanganj, police opened fire to disperse a group of BNP men in Rupganj's Nalpathar area around 6:00am yesterday when they blocked the Asian Highway (Dhaka bypass) by setting fire to tyres. The BNP activists vandalised some vehicles and torched two trucks, police said.

Police detained four men, including two injured with shot gun pellets, from the scene. The detainees identified themselves as former leaders of Chhatra Dal.

Police also detained three others, including a former joint convenor of Siddhirganj BNP, around 7:00am when a group of demonstrators blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Siddhirganj by setting fire to tyres and vandalised vehicles.

In Bogura, police fired teargas at BNP men in Satmatha area yesterday. The BNP activists retaliated with brickbats and two crude bombs. They also vandalised five vehicles and torched a truck.

Rapid Action Battalion yesterday arrested 10 people from a hotel in the capital's Gulshan in connection with Tuesday's clash between law enforcers and BNP men in Narayanganj's Araihazar upazila. Three cops were injured in the clash.

A bus owner yesterday filed a case with Savar Police Station accusing 125 BNP leaders and activists, including former lawmaker from Dhaka-19 Dewan Salauddin Babu, of torching a bus in Savar on Wednesday.

Another a case was filed against 24 named BNP leaders and activists and 200 unnamed people yesterday over torching a truck on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Sitakunda upazila on Wednesday. Police detained 15 BNP men in Sitakunda over the last two days in connection with the case.

BNP LEADERS HELD IN CITY

The BNP's media cell Convener Zahir Uddin Swapan and Dhaka North city BNP Member Secretary Aminul Haque were arrested in the capital yesterday.

Swapan was picked up by Detective Branch of DMP in the evening, said Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (DB) of DMP.

He, however, did not say under what charges the BNP leader was arrested.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi in a statement said that Swapan was picked up from Gulshan.

Earlier in the day, the DB arrested Aminul and Sazzadul Miraz, member secretary of Dhaka North city Jubo Dal, in separate cases over violence.