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Hartal ends peacefully

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A dawn to dusk countrywide hartal enforced by the main opposition Awami League (AL) yesterday passed off almost peacefully in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
In Dhaka, a good number of passenger buses, private cars, and CNG three-wheelers plied the streets during the 12-hour stoppage, but educational institutions, shopping malls, and many private and government offices remained closed. Branches of commercial banks operated, keeping the back doors open.
AL enforced the shutdown for 6:00am to 6:00pm protesting the
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passage of the budget for FY 05-06 without taking into account its 13-point revision proposal. The budget was passed in parliament yesterday. Of the other opposition parties, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) extended its support to yesterday's hartal.
Activists of ruling BNP attacked a pro-hartal procession of women near Mouchak Market in the city at about 11:30am while police charged batons on it. The procession came under simultaneous attacks from the ruling party men and police when it was approaching the market from Malibag Intersection, chanting anti-government slogans. The BNP men also yelled a torrent of abuses at the women pickets.
The dispersed activists of Jubo Mahila League later regrouped. But as they tried to damage vehicles on the streets, the police resorted to batons again against them and picked up two -- Nila and Mitu-- from the scene.
When the photojournalists went to take snaps of the melee, some BNP men, mostly activists of its youth and student wings, barred them and tried to snatch their cameras. But the journalists caught Saiful, one of the youths threatening to shoot the lensmen, and handed him over to police.
The workers of Jubo Mahila League brought out another procession from Dhanmondi area. When it reached near Dhaka City College, police stood in its way and scuffled with the pickets.
At around 10:30am, the policemen chased a procession of prohartal activists at Shahbagh and charged batons on a Sramik League procession at 11:00am in city's Motijheel area.
Like the other hartal days, police cordoned off the AL central office on city's Bangabandhu Avenue with barbed wire fences from early in the morning. City unit leaders and workers brought out a procession in
front of the party office in the morning.
The AL lawmakers, under AL Parliamentary Party banner, took out a procession from Jatiya Sangsad at 10:30am. On parading the Mirpur Road, they held a rally at Russell Square. AL leaders Abdur Razzak, Mohammed Nasim, Shahjahan Khan, and Dr Abdur Razzak spoke at the rally.
The overall presence of hartal pickets in the capital yesterday was thin compared to other hartal days. Still, attendance in the government and private offices was small while activities in the country's main seaport in Chittagong and transactions at the stock exchanges were hampered.
Our Chittagong correspondent adds: The city life was quite normal throughout the day in the port city. Most of the shopping malls, shops, and kitchen markets bustled with people as usual. Except longdistance buses and trucks, all other vehicles came out on the city streets.
The AL rank and file stayed off the road most of the time. Only a mini-rally attended by no more than 20 leaders and activists was held in the morning at New Market Intersection.
Everyday operations at the Chittagong Port however were disrupted as no delivery could take place during the hartal hours. Train and flight schedules were normal.
Our correspondent from Rangamati reports: At least five Jubo League men received minor injuries when police and the ruling BNP activists swooped on the prohartal activists at Bat Tala in the hill town yesterday morning.
Our correspondents from different parts of the country including Rajshahi, Khulna, Gopalganj, and Lalmonirhat reported that the dawn to dusk hartal did not cause any disquiet.