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Hartal halts life for third time

General strike called again for tomorrow

Staff correspondent
A countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal jointly enforced by the Awami League (AL) and other opposition parties yesterday brought life to a halt for the third time in the last five days and sporadic police-picket clashes and police baton charges In different places left dozens injured.
The main opposition AL, left leaning 11-party alliance, Jatiya Samajtantrlk Dal (JSD-Inu) and National Awami Party (NAP-Muzaffor) called the hartal to protest the August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally in an attempt to assassinate party President and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Haslna and in demand for resignation of the BNP-
led rulingcoalition.
The Jubo League and Mohlla Awami League yesterday called the fourth hartal (dawn-to-dusk) since the attack for tomorrow. Twenty other women's organisations have also supported the hartal.
Earlier, the ruling BNP shifted its previously declared demonstration movement from August 28 to 30 to avoid confrontation with the opposition parties as the opposition called hartal on that day.
The hartal, also to protest the killing of 20 people including AL central leader Ivy Rahman In the grenade attack and police excesses during the hartals on Ricsday and Wednesday, shut most businesses,
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schools, colleges and offices, disrupted cargo handling at Chittagong port and largely emptied streets of vehicles in Dhaka and elsewhere. A small number of minibuses and rickshaws however plied.
In Dhaka, AL leaders and workers staged demonstrations near Russell Square in Dhanmondi and the party headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue and in Motijheel Commercial area during the hartal hours.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), the 11-party and the JSD also demonstrated near Muktangon and adjacent areas amid tight police vigilance.
About 7,000 riot police and paramilitary BDR personnel were deployed at different strategic points.
Police charged batons and dispersed a procession of Awami Jubo League at Dainik Bangla crossing at around 12.40 pm injuring at least seven activists. The procession, led by AL lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor and Jubo League leaders, was trying to march towards Paltan Maidan braving police barricade.
Police also picked up at least five Jubo League workers from the spot.
Police put up barbed-wire fences on the roads leading to the AL headquarters in the early morning and prevented any opposition demonstrations there. Only top AL leaders including Matia Chowdhury were allowed to enter the barricaded area.
CPB President Monjurul Ahsan Khan led demonstrations in Purana Paltan intersection area during the hartal hours.
A procession led by former AL legislator Haji Selim clashed with police at about 11am in front of his house in Old Dhaka.
The law enforcers clubbed a Mohila Awami League procession at Kalabagan bus stoppage and picked up three activists from the spot.
Police and leaders of Jubo Mahila League were locked in a scuffle near the Bangabandhu Bhaban on Road No. 32 of Dhanmondi at about noon when the AL's front organisation tried to parade through Mirpur Road.
A number of AL lawmakers helped bring the situation under control and the women activists joined a rally of the lawmakers at Russell Square. During the scuffle, police assaulted AL lawmaker Sohel Taz.
Earlier, at about 11:00 am, opposition lawmakers under the banner of AL Parliamentary Party (ALPP) brought out a procession from the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban area and after parading through Mirpur Road, they staged a sit-in near Russell Square for about three hours.
Our staff correspondent in Chittagong reports: The hartal passed off peacefully in the port city. The city was by and large quiet till late noon when vehicles began to come out on the streets.
Four flights -- one of Bangladesh Biman and three of the GMG-- were cancelled because of the hartal, sources said.
Chittagong city AL held two big rallies
at Olonkar Crossing and Bahaddarhat intersection in the morning. Police arrested 54 people, mostly AL activists and supporters, on Friday night apparently to prevent violent agitation during hartal hours yesterday.
Our staff corespondent in Khulna reported that the hartal disrupted life but was peaceful.
All sorts of vehicle remained off the streets and production in mills and factories were hampered.
Police prevented pro-hartal workers from marching on the city streets.
Our RU corespondent adds: All educational institutions including Rajshahi University, Rajshahi College, City College and Government Women's College remained closed due to the hartal.
Our correspondent in Bagura reported that 26 people including a policeman were injured at Dhunat in chase and counter-chase between activists of the AL and BNP during the hartal hours.
Of the injured, 20 are local AL leaders and workers and five are BNP activists.
BNP activists also attacked the house of Dhunat upazila unit AL General Secretary AGM Badsha. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to control the situation.
Police also intercepted a procession of Sammilita Ainjibi Samonnaya Parishad supporting the hartal.
Locals said BNP activists also hurled cocktails at AL supporters in presence of police and women of the village with brooms in their hands chased police at this time.
The injured included police constable Jagadish Chandra Sarkar, Dhunat unit AL leaders Kudrat-e- Khuda Jewel, Shariful Islam, Ahsan Habib.
Police were deployed at different points of the upazila as tension prevailed.
UNB adds: Thirty-one pro-hartal activists were injured, one of them bullet hit, in sniper attacks and police action in Sadar, Palash and Belabo upazilas of Narsingdi district during the shutdown.
Police charged baton on an AL procession in Madhobdi bus stoppage area in Sadar upazila at about noon, injuring 20 people, including upazila AL President Safar Ali Bhuiyan and General Secretary Ataur Rahman. The injured were admitted to a local hospital.
In another incident, a Chhatra League worker, Russel, suffered bullet injuries as unidentified attackers fired on a procession at Char Sindur Bazar in Palash at about 11:00am. He was first admitted to upazila health complex and later shifted to Sadar Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
Police clubbed Jubo League activists at Baroicha in Belabo in the afternoon, leaving 10 wounded. The injured were rushed to upazila health complex.
In Akhaura, supporters of the AL and BNP clashed, leaving 12 people injured, reports said.