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Hartal today

Riot police swoop on procession s

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Riot police used water cannons and batons to break up processions of the Awami League (AL) in the city yesterday.
The police action came a day before an eight-hour countrywide hartal to be enforced by the AL today.
Earlier on January 9, the AL announced the 6.00am-2.00pm hartal in protest at the price hike of fuel, essentials and utility services. The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) joined hands with the AL in the strike.
However, the AL kept Narayanganj out of the purview of today's hartal due to municipal polls.
A huge contingent of police had
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laid siege to the AL headquarters on the Bangabandhu Avenue since yesterday afternoon and repeatedly stopped AL leaders and activists from bringing out processions.
Police shot out jets of cold and dirty water over a dozen of women activists of the AL amid the prevailing cold snap, as they tried to get to the party office in a procession under the banner of Sutrapur thana unit of the Mahila Awami League at about 4.00pm. Lovely Chowdhury, ward commissioner of the Dhaka City Corporation, was leading the procession.
Police also clubbed activists of the Jubo League, Dhaka City Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on the roads at Golap Shah Mazaar and Zero Point leading to the party office.
City AL President Mohammad Hanif led a procession, defying barbed-wire fences and clubbing and, at a rally, called upon countrymen to unseat the government to free the country from tyranny.
Later in the day, the BCL brought out another procession only to be chased by police.
In a statement last night, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil urged people to make the hartal a success.
Jalil fears that commuters have to bear the brunt increased transport costs and that productivity in the agricultural and industrial sectors would suffer too due to the fuel price hike.
The BCL brought out a procession and held rally on the Dhaka University campus yesterday in support of the hartal. It also protested the death of Shuvo Gopal, a BCL leader, who died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Sunday night from torture allegedly by the joint forces.
The BCL leaders said the four-party coalition government promulgated the indemnity ordinance to save killers.
Presided over by BCL leader Delwar Hossain, the rally was addressed by BCL President Liaquat Sikder and General Secretary Nazrul Islam Babu, among others.
Later, a delegation of the AL student chapter met with the Dhaka University vice-chancellor and vowed that any political activities by the Islamic Chhatra Shibir on the campus would be resisted.
Meanwhile, the Jagannath University College unit of the BCL brought out a procession and held rally at the college premises in support of the hartal.