Brahmanbaria, Oct 23 (bdnews24.com)–A halfday general strike called for Wednesday in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria district has been withdrawn.
The shutdown was called demanding immediate arrest and trial of the killers of the ruling Awami League leader and businessman AKM Iqbal Azad.
Sher Ali, a supporter of Azad, told bdnews24.com that the general strike was withdrawn considering Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja.
Angry supporters of the slain leader set ablaze two homes on Tuesday in Sarail upazila headquarters. The homes were owned by a key suspect in the murder.
Iqbal Azad, Vice President of Sarail upazila unit of the ruling party, was killed in an attack allegedly by his rival group at Tempo Stand crossing in the upazila on Sunday evening.
His supporters have been blaming the upazila AL President and some other local AL leaders for the murder.
The namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) of the deceased was held at the Kuttapara playground on Tuesday afternoon.
After the prayer, his younger brother Jahangir Azad called the strike in the Sarail stretch of the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway from 6am to 12pm for Wednesday. Local lawmaker Ziaul Haque Mridha also expressed solidarity with the programme.
An unofficial shutdown has been enforced in Sarail upazila headquarters. The traders took out protest procession and held rally on Wednesday morning in protest at the killing by keeping shutters of their shops down.
The supporters of Azad torched two homes of former Chairman of Sarail Sadar union council Idris Ali, the main accused in the murder case, at Nowahati village around 11am. The locals said the incident took place in presence of the police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel.
On Monday, the angry supporters also set ablaze 11 homes and two poultry farms of some other suspects.
Brahmanbaria district's Deputy Commissioner Nur Mohammad Majumder and Superintendent of Police (SP) Jamil Ahmed visited the scene and assured the locals of a fair investigation into the killing. They urged them to stay calm.
Officer-in-charge of the Sarail Police Station Gias Uddin said the police kept the situation under control.
Iqbal's brother Jahangir Azad filed a case with the police station on Monday accusing as many as 22 people including upazila AL President Abdul Halim, General Secretary Rafique Uddin Thakur and Organising Secretary Mahfuz Ali.
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