So far, 66
individuals have been taken into custody.
On Monday noon, within hours of
the International Crimes Tribunal-2 fixing Tuesday for delivering the verdict on
Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant General Secretary Abdul Kader Molla, the Islamist
party announced a countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown for the
day.
Intercity bus service came to a halt due to the shutdown, but trains
plied uninterrupted. Rickshaws and auto rickshaws were also visible on roads in
various district towns across the country.
Schools and colleges were
announced shut for the day, but some businesses and shops started to open after
noon. Government and private offices were reported open during the
strike.
Gazipur: Pro-shutdown activists set fire to a
minibus at Nolzani on the road connecting Gazipur with Dhaka. They also
vandalised vehicles and torched motor tyres in several areas to obstruct normal
flow of traffic.
OC SM Kamruzzaman of Joydebpur Police Station said
Jamaat activists vandalised and set fire to the minibus in a surprise attack at
around 8:00am.
Police and locals later doused the fire.
The
pro-strike activists also tried to torch tyres on Bhogra Bypass on
Dhaka–Mymensingh highway, but police dispersed them, Sub-Inspector Suzayet
Hossain of Bhogra Police Oupost said.
Six activists were held from
Gazipur Sadar upazila starting Monday night until Tuesday noon, police said. Two
Jamaat and Shibir activists were held from
Tongi-Kaliakoir.
Savar: A bus belonging to ‘Bhai-Bon
Paribahan’ was burnt after pro-shutdown activists set fire to it at around
10:00am in front of Gonoshasto on Dhaka-Tangail Highway, Ashulia Station OC
Sheikh Bodrul Alam said.
He told bdnews24.com that pickets also
vandalised five to six vehicles around 6:00am as they took out a procession in
front of Ashulia’s Unique Bus-stand. The attackers fled after being chased by
policemen. The Jamaat-Shibir activists brought out similar processions at
different points in Savar.
Faridpur: The Jamaat-Shibir
activists took out processions in the native village of Jamaat Assistant
Secretary General Mollah in Sadarpur upazila.
SI Mamun of Sadarpur Police
Station told bdnews24.com cops obstructed a pro-shutdown procession after it
emerged in the bust-stand area at around 11:00am. The activists retaliated to
the obstruction by clashing with the law-keepers. They were eventually dispersed
as the police wielded batons and fired a round of blank shot.
Three
activists were picked up from the site.
Bogra:The
pro-shutdown activists threw crude bombs at police in ‘Saabgram’ area of the
district, and the cops retaliated by firing five blank shots.
Five Shibir
activists were arrested during the incident, Assistant Superintendant of Police
(Circle A) Mokbul Hossain said.
Two Jamaat-Shibir activists had died in
this area while clashing with police during the last week’s
Jamaat-e-Islami-enforced countrywide shutdown on Thursday.
Police also
chased away some Shibir activists when they attempted to set up blockades in the
town’s Jamilnagar area at around 10:00am by setting tyres ablaze. The activists
hurled five to six hand bombs at police during the occurrence.
Police
dispersed the activists by firing around 15 blank rounds from their
shotguns.
Brahmanbaria: Two Jamaat activists were
nabbed on Tuesday morning following back-to-back clashes between lawmen and
Jamaat-Shibir activists from Bhadughor area on Comilla-Sylhet
Highway.
Nine Jamaat activists were also held from various parts of the
district, Police Superintendant Mohammad Moniruzzaman said.
In another
incident, a group of Jamaat-Shibir activists also set fire to car tyres in front
of Datiara Television Station on Comilla-Sylhet highway at around
9:00am.
Leaders of the district and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra
League took out an anti-shutdown procession at around
10:30am.
Chandpur: Pro-shutdown activists set fire to
burnt tyres and dumped tree trunks at several points on the Chaadpur-Comilla
Highway to obstruct traffic flow.
18 leaders and Jamaat-Shibir activists
were arrested from various parts of the district during the shutdown, SP
Mohammad Amir Zafar said.
“So far no big unexpected incident has taken
place in the district,” he said.
Chuadanga: SI Tipu
Sultan of the district’s Alamdanga Police Station said a procession by
Jamaat-Shibir activists approached police personnel in the area at around 9:00am
chanting ‘Joi Bangla’ slogans. When they came close to the cops, they took on
the law enforcers screaming ‘Naraye Takbir’.
That led to a brawl between
police and the activists. At one point, the activists threw some brickbats at
police personnel and fled, SI Sultan said.
Jhinaidaha:
Police arrested five Jamaat-Shibir activists on Monday in separate raids, OC
Anwar Hossain of Maheshpur Police Station and Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury for Sadar
Police said.
Noakhali: There were back-to-back clashes
between Shibir and Chhtara League activists in front of Bashurhat Model School
at Companiganj. Fire fighters doused a fire that was set to a student’s
dormitory in front of the school, Companiganj Police OC Sajedur Rahman
said.
18 activists of Jamaat and Shibir were held in raids conducted in
various parts of the district during Monday night, SP Harunur Rashid Hazari
informed.
The second international crimes tribunal on Jan 21 sentenced
Jamaat’s Abul Kalam Azad, aka Bachchu Razakar to death over charges of crimes
against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971, including murder, rape and
loot.
Party’s former chief Ghulam Azam, incumbent chief Matiur Rahman
Nizami and five others are facing war crimes trial. Two BNP leaders are also
standing the war crimes trial.
The Jamaat-Shibir activists have been
attacking policemen and engaging in vandalism and violence throughout Bangladesh
ever since they started anticipating harsh punishment for their leaders facing
the trial.
The Islamist party has been demanding that the war crimes
tribunals be repealed and their leaders released immediately.
On the
other hand, some Left parties have demanded ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami and its
affiliates – a demand that enjoys support from many in the ruling Awami
League.
The BNP initially did not oppose the trial, but recently backed
the Jan 31 strike called by the Jamaat, saying the war crimes tribunal was not
conducting the trial in a fair and transparent manner.
