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Govt puts city under siege to stop rally goers

Police, BNP men attack processions, 300 injured

Star Report
The government did almost every-tliing to turn Dhaka into a city under siege to restrain opposition activists and supporters from joining the grand rally in Paltan Maidan yesterday.
Police and ruling party workers obstructed workers and leaders of the 14-party opposition combine at different places in the capital and elsewhere in the country. Reports say at least 300 people were injured in attacks on opposition processions in the city and other districts.
Although the government had
claimed that it took steps to ensure foolproof security for the peaceful holding of the rally, in reality ruling BNP cadres chased and assaulted scores of rally-goers right in front of the law enforcers.
The countrywide transport strike, enforced suddenly by BNP-backed transport workers, caused severe troubles for the people coming to Dhaka. Riverways were also blocked as BNP men reportedly led by Keraniganj police did not let vessels travel towards Sadarghat from outside the capital.
In many districts, ruling party men damaged buses and prevented
the opposition activists from coming to Dhaka for the rally. The buses were hired to carry the intending participants to the rally venue.
In the capital, people carrying banners, placards and chanting anti-govemment slogans headed towards Paltan Maidan on foot. The mass marches to the venue began early in the morning.
Thousands of police in riot gear built a strong security fence surrounding Paltan Maidan. They set up barbed-wire fences to block vehicles on different roads leading to the venue.
Some 15,000 policemen were posted in the capital, 5,000 alone of them hemming in the Paltan ground.
Policemen deployed at Matsya Bhaban, Nightingale, Curzon Hall, Dainik Bangla and Nawabpur crossings did not allow any vehicles to move towards Paltan. They forced the opposition workers to get down their vehicles. Participants were checked before they could get access to the meeting place.
Police charged batons and used teargas on the crowd in front of National Press Club when a group of opposition activists pelted stones at the police personnel standing guard in front of the secretariat gate number five. The clash followed heated altercation between police and the rally-goers barricaded while coming in from High Court crossing, said witnesses.
At least 50 people including three journalists and some police personnel were injured during the clash that continued for about half an hour in the afternoon. Of the injured, 20 took first aid while three others were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).
Many of the injured, however, left the hospital in fear of being arrested by the police, said sources.
Mohammad Madan Mian, a seriously wounded AL worker of ward No-50, declined to take admission to the hospital, fearing police harassment.
The journalists injured in the clash include Mahbub Matin of channel i, cameraman Jahid Hasan and Alauddin Arif of Bangla daily Amar Desh.
Officer-in-Charge of Ramna Police Station Mahbub claimed that the incident has left at least 10 policemen injured. A group of journalists brought out processions in the evening in front of the DMCH, protesting the police attack on them.
Police charged batons almost on everyone crossing the area at that time. Incensed at obstruction and police attack, the opposition men ransacked two mini buses and a private car in front of the press club.
They vandalised a roadside newspaper stall near the secretariat. The owner of the shop alleged that mobile phone cards of worth around Tk 10,000 have gone missing since the melee.
Police set up barricades on every entry points to Paltan Maidan to keep people off the rally. They dispersed processions and forced many to stop chanting slogans. They body-searched the participants and did not allow any procession to cross the barricades.
Temporary barbed-wire barricades were placed in front of Matsya Bhaban, High Court Crossing, Gulistan, Kakrail, Motijheel and Dilkhusha area. Besides, police took positions on every roof of the buildings on Topkhana Road and adjacent areas.
WATERWAYs BLoCKED
Movements of boats, launches and trawlers in River Buriganga were restricted from 10:00pm Monday, preventing the opposition workers in addition to small traders and day labourers from the other side of the river from entering the capital.
Reports from Keraniganj and Narayanganj say police on Monday night instructed the owners of launches and boats not to run their vessels till the rally is over.
“Some policemen told me not to work today and said those who will violate the orders will be dealt out severe punishment,” said Joynul, a middle-aged boatman who ferry people from Keraniganj to Dhaka.
Launches carrying the opposition workers were forced to drop the passengers at Keraniganj. The people were barred also from taking boats for Sadarghat. Hundreds of people were seen waiting for boats to join the rally.
Policemen in speedboats patrolled the river to scare away
launches and boats.
Many launch owners told The Daily Star that they were forced into keeping their vessels off the route so that opposition workers cannot take part in the rally.
Reports said ruling party men in Patuakhali, Barguna, Barisal and Bhola did not allow opposition supporters to board launches bound for the capital.
KERANIGANJ
About 100 opposition activists were injured yesterday when Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Jubo Dal cadres allegedly attacked an AL procession in presence of police.
“As the procession reached Kadamtali at around 3:20pm on its way to Paltan Maidan, Chhatra Dal activists opened fire and hurled bombs on the procession,” said a witness.
The attack left seven people including schoolboy Sajib Anisul bullet- and splinter-hit. The other critically injured are Swapan, Abul Member, Rashed, Zakir Hossain and Korban.
Ruling party goons obstructed opposition processions also in Teghoria, Chunputia, Rajendrapur, Aganagar and Zinzira areas.
LALBAGH
Dhaka city AL claimed that at least 200 people were injured when the BNP-backed cadres led by local lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu attacked on an AL procession.
"Pintu brandishing a shot gun beat up some Awami League supporters," said a press release of Dhaka City AL.
Local BNP cadres Majibur Rahman Maju and Aman Ullah Aman and Juba Dal leaders Rafiq, Mohammad Montu, Mohammad Babu, Chhatra Dal leaders Sentu, Swapan, Jewel and Dingi Babu were among the attackers, the release added.
"Besides, police arrested some 30 activists from the scene," it said.
NARAYANGANJ-NARSINGDI
Police obstructed opposition leaders and workers at Panchdona in Narsingdi Sadar, Ghorasal Ferryghat in Palash, Itakhola intersection in Shibpur and Baricha in Belabo upazilas while they were on their way to Paltan Maidan yesterday morning.
Talking to The Daily Star at Kanchpur, AL leader Ferdous Bhuiyan, who came from Narsingdi, said no buses were allowed to leave Narsingdi town.
AL supporters and workers from Kanchpur and Rupganj in Narayanganj reached the Paltan Maidan in rented pickup vans, microbuses, taxicabs and pubic buses.
only on seeing the newsmen, police stationed at Kanchpur point allowed some 40 buses with opposition workers from Sonargaon to go to Dhaka.
Taking them for AL men, police beat up some detective officials at around 3:00pm near Jatrabari foot overbridge.
CHITTAGoNG
Ruling party activists damaged five buses carrying AL supporters at Shubhapur and Mithachhara in Mirsarai upazila yesterday morning and did not let them start for Dhaka. They kept the buses stranded on Dhaka-Chittagong highway from 11:30am to 12:30pm.
When the opposition men sought help, the law enforcers chased them, said an allegation denied by police.
Abdus Salam, general secretary of Chittagong (North) AL unit, said they hired 50 buses to join the rally but later police requisitioned 30 of those buses from the owners.
Police on Monday night did not allow 10 busloads of opposition activists to leave the port city at Mirsarai, he added.
Another 10 buses left for Dhaka yesterday morning but only three of them could cross Mirsarai.
Police and Rab members in the name
of search reportedly harassed a large number of people wanting to join the rally in trains and forced them to leave the station.
GAZIpUR
Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Sramik Dal men assaulted eight opposition leaders and activists including Kashimpur Union Jubo League president Belayet Hossain Babul at Chandana intersection yesterday, reports UNB.
The ruling party cadres stopped a bus carrying the opposition workers from Kashimpur and snatched the key of the bus and three mobile sets. MANIKGANJ-DHAMRAI-NAYARHAT
Police intercepted several busloads of opposition activists bound for Dhaka in the morning, saying the buses are not allowed to go to the capital.
They also barred processions from marching towards the capital.
As opposition workers reached Singair, ruling party men in tandem with police dragged them down from the buses and scared away.
Policemen stationed at Nayarhat did not let buses of the opposition men ply the route to Dhaka.
TANGAIL-FENI
Opposition activists of Tangail were not allowed to leave the district as they gathered at Tangail Old Bus Terminal yesterday morning. Ruling party men kept them confined there for a long time.
Reports from Feni says the opposition adherents who were preparing to start for Dhaka to attend the rally could not gather and were dispersed in different areas of the town.