Two top leaders of the 11-party alliance were assaulted and at least nine people including two women were injured as pro-hartal pickets came under attacks from anti-hartal activists in the city during the countrywide shutdown called by it yesterday.
Alliance leaders alleged that Mofazzal ChowdhuryMaya, Minister of State for Shipping and General Secretary of the City Awami League, led the attacks on pro-hartal pickets and processionists at Zero Point, Paltan Crossing and Topkhana Road between 10 am and 11 am.
The state minister, however, refuted the allegation and told The Daily Star last night, "Some third force might have done this." He however did not specify the 'third force'.
Witnesses said that some youths from a procession led by Maya swooped on the pro-hartal pickets without any provocation.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Mujahidul Islam Selim told The Daily Star that despite his request to Maya, anti-hartal activists made the attacks and also threw brickbats on him.
The hartal was otherwise peaceful in the capital.
In Narayanganj, President of CPB's town unit Shibnath Chakrabarty was injured when anti-hartal activists attacked and fired shots on a group of prohartal pickets for obstructing movement of trains at Chashara station. The attackers were allegedly led by ruling party lawmaker Shamim Osman.
Meanwhile, a brief press release issued from the Police Headquarters last night said that no major incident took place during yesterday's countrywide hartal. In some districts, hartal was not observed. It, however, did not provide a list of those districts.
According to reports from our district correspondents, hartal was observed by and large peacefully.
The 11-party alliance called the hartal protesting rise of terrorism and fundamentalism, corruption and plunder of national wealth by the rulers and price hike of essentials. The call was given in December last. Later, the alliance added to its demands the trial of those involved in the bomb explosion at the January 20 rally of CPB at Paltan Maidan in the city. he ^afty ^tar
Witnesses said alliance central leader Khalequzzaman came under attack when the anti-hartal procession from Zero Point led by Maya was passing by a small pro-hartal procession led by the BSD (Khaleq) chief near Muktangan at 10:30 am.
Some youths from the anti-hartal procession attacked the pro-hartal procession. One of the attackers hit Khalequzzaman on his face.
Some pro-hartal activists were injured there. Two of them were identified as Asma and Abhi, witnesses said.
The AL procession then moved to Topkhana Road where a number of pro-hartal pickets including Mafizur Rahman of the CPB-backed Krishak Samity were beaten by youths from the procession. Mafizur was seriously injured in his head and required 10 stitches.
The procession then returned to Paltan crossing. A huge contingent of police deployed there was not allowing vehicles to move on the road in front of the CPB central office.
The state minister then asked police to leave the spot and allow traffic movement on the road. When contacted later, Maya admitted this and said, "I wanted vehicles to move on the streets. Police should not create obstacles unnecessarily."
Mujahidul Islam Selim came there and asked the state minister about the attack on their procession. They had a heated exchange of words and Maya then left the spot.
Youths from the anti-hartal procession then chased Selim and others with him. They also hurled brickbats one of which hit Selim.
Later, a number of processions of AL and its front organisations
passed through the road in front of the CPB central office. Brickbats were hurled at the CPB office from one of the processions at about 1 pm.
The alliance also brought out processions in the city and nearby places.
Anti-hartal activists went to Fulbaria bus terminal at about 9:30 am and compelled drivers ply their vehicles, witnesses said.
When contacted last night, Maya said Selim (CPB leader) had told him of attacks on leftist activists but "I said our men were not involved" in those attacks.
"Immediately after the incidents of attacks, I directed all the processions of Awami League and its front organisations to our party office and we stayed there for the next one hour," claimed Maya, rejecting the allegation of leading the attacks.
Earlier, Selim however told Daily Star reporters that after the first attack at Zero Point he tried to talk to Maya. "But we were attacked for the second time at Paltan."
Anti-hartal activists were more active than those of the 11-party alliance during the first half of the day.
Pro-hartal activists did not resort to violence. A large number of rickshaws and a limited number of motor vehicles including state-run BRTC buses plied on the city roads almost without any obstacle.
Most of the shops, market places, schools and business establishments remained closed in the city. Attendance in offices and transaction in banks were very thin.
In Narayanganj, Shibnath Chakrabarty was injured in an attack by anti-hartal activists. The attackers beat him with rifle butt while he was picketing .
A number of blank shots were also fired.
Pro hartal activists stopped movement of trains in Naraynganj for several hours.
Meanwhile, 11-party leadwers alleged that Dr Dibalak Singh, son of legendary communist leader Moni Singh, and a former upazila parishad chairman, Abdullah Haq, were seriously injured in an attack on a pro-hartal procession Wednesday night at Durgapur in Netrokona district.
Our Chittagong correspondent reported observance of peaceful hartal in the port city. Delivery of goods to and from Chittagong Port remained suspended and work in mills and factories was also disrupted due to the shutdown.
Our Staff Correspondent in Khulna reported that over 100 women activists of CPB-backed Chhatra Union brought out a procession carrying sticks in their hands. They demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for the bomb blast at the CPB rally in Dhaka.
Reports from Barisal , Sirajganj and other districts also said hartal was observed peacefully.