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Tense Dhaka sees arson, blasts

Staff Correspondent
Fearing possible violence from a face-off between the ruling and opposition parties, panic-stricken city residents mostly stayed indoors yesterday, leaving the streets almost empty.
In the end, the day passed with some minor incidents, including crude bomb blasts and vandalism.
Unidentified miscreants hurled two cocktails at the Zigatola residence of minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta around 6:00am. In the evening, at least 12 crude bombs blasted at different parts of the capital and two vehicles were torched and another one was vandalised, said police and witnesses.
Meantime, around 20 platoons of Border Cuard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed in the city for 12 hours from 7:00pm.
"We've deployed our force in aid of civil administration following their request," Col Hafiz Ahsan Farid, deputy director general (operations) of BGB, told The Daily Star last night.
Besides, members of Rapid Action Battalion and police were seen guarding and patrolling the city streets.
Tension was heightened in the city as the opposition 18-party alliance announced to stage a rally and the ruling party leaders declared to remain vigilant on the streets to foil any attempt by the opposition activists to create anarchy.
Amid intermittent showers throughout the day, only people in urgent need came out on the streets. Very few vehicles plied the city thoroughfares.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance activists gathered at the rally venue Suhrawardy Udyan, while the AL-le 14-party combine men gathered at different points in the capital, including the AL's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue and party president's Dhanmondi office.
Several hundred Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, including some with firearms, paraded on the Dhaka University campus since morning. They beat up six suspected Islami Chhatra Shibir activists.
Aged about 40, a pedestrian near the Matsya Bhaban said, “I wouldn't have come out of my residence amid such a tense situation if I could avoid it."
Rickshawpuller Abdul Jalil said, "I don't know whether 1 would be able to earn the amount 1 need to deposit with the owner of my rickshaw."
"I usually earn Tk 250 by this time, but today I've earned only Tk 40 since 12:00 noon,” he mentioned around 7:00pm at Shyamoli. He has to give the rickshaw owner Tk 70 for 12 hours.
BOMB BLASTS
Five bombs were hurled near the Shishu Park, Kataban mosque and Matsya Bhaban areas when activists of opposition parties were returning from the rally venue in small processions around 6:00pm, witnesses said.
In the morning, two bombs were hurled at the Zigatola residence of Suranjit Sengupta, one of which went off hitting the building wall.
Within couple of hours, three crude bombs exploded in front of the Dhanmondi (Road-1) residence of Abdul Mannan, president of Dhaka district BNP unit
None was hurt in the blasts, said Hazaribagh and Dhanmondi police.
In another incident yesterday afternoon, two bike-riding criminals blasted four cocktails in the capital's Shewrapara, said Kafrul police.
Amzad Ali, acting proctor of Dhaka University, said miscreants blasted three handmade bombs near Sir AF Rahman Hall around 9:00pm.
A passenger bus was set ablaze at Karwanbazar and a private car was torched at Segunbagicha areas around 6:00pm, allegedly by opposition activists when they were returning from the rally.
Opposition supporters also vandalised a bus in Mirpur while going to the rally venue around 3:00pm.