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Books not spared

Bomb, arson attacks on trucks carrying children's books, poultry; one more arson victim dies

Star Report
Now the books of schoolchildren have become the target for alleged blockaders.
A truck carrying around 38,000 books of pre-primary students came under a bomb attack on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj yesterday that left almost all the books damaged.
Truck helper Shahidul Islam, 38, of Poba upazila in Rajshahi died of burn wounds at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yester-
day, seven days after his truck was attacked by arsonists at Nawdapara.
In an act of sheer cruelty, criminals burned some 2,500 chicks by setting alight a covered van at Ramchandrapur in Muktagachha upazila ofMymensingh.
Law enforcers detained at least 78 BNP-Jamaat men in six districts yesterday, the second day of the nationwide 72-hour hartal enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance alongside an indefinite blockade.
At least 69 people have been killed in violence and arson since January 5 when the alliance announced the blockade demanding a midterm election under a non-party administration. Of the dead, 53 had no links to politics.
Meanwhile, BNP in a statement said the opposition's ongoing "peaceful movement” will continue until "the anti-people government" stepped down.
"Sheikh Hasina's dream to stay in power forcibly will be shattered soon following the mass movement in the country," said BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed.
BOOKS SET ABLAZE
Farid Hossain, manager of Shuktara Transport Agency, said 37,808 books were loaded onto the truck from a printing press in Dhaka. It left for Laxmipur around 4:00am. The books were to be distributed among students in Roypur, Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas for free.
When the truck reached near Jamaldi Bus Stop in Gazaria upazila around 5:30am, a petrol bomb was hurled at it, but the bomb did not blast. A second bomb was thrown at the vehicle, putting it on fire, added Farid.
Driver Harun-or-Rashid and his helper were injured after they jumped from the truck.
The trucker said some 10 percent books were burned, but almost all of the rest were damaged when firefighters doused the flames with water.
An official at National Curriculum and Textbook Board said printers were supposed to supply all the pre-primary level books to the upazilas within January 16, but several of them missed the deadline due to the ongoing blockade.
The opposition's unceasing anti-govt agitation has already pushed students,
parents and teachers into a tight corner. Academic activities in educational institutions have been hit hard by the blockade. Experts said it would take a long time to recover the losses.
ARSON VICTIM DIES Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin, director of RMCH, said deceased truck helper Shahidul had badly burned his lungs in the arson attack. He passed away around 5:00pm.
He was injured on the night of February 2 when some masked arsonists threw a petrol bomb at the truck in front of Lili Cinema at Nawdapara. The empty truck was returning to Poba after carrying sand to Rajshahi city.
Victim's wife Manjura Begum said her husband went out for work during the blockade as he had to repay loan instalments on time.
Injured trucker Saidur Rahman has been undergoing treatment at RMCH.
In Mymensingh, a group of alleged blockaders obstructed the Mymensingh-Tangail road at Ramchandrapur around 2:30am by putting logs across.
When the covered van carrying some 5,000 chicks from Gazipur to Kalibari of Muktagachha reached the spot, the arsonists forced the driver to alight from the vehicle; poured petrol on the truck and torched it, said Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Muktagachha Police Station, quoting driver Abdur Rahman.
In Barisal, police arrested a Chhatra Dal activist on the charge of torching a fruit-laden pick-up in Agailjhara upazila and awarded the driver Tk 10,000 for saving three lives.
Law enforcers in Gaibandha detained Shibir activist Taskinul Islam Swapan in Gaibandha Sadar upazila. Cops also recovered 22 crude bombs and bombmaking materials from his possession.
Raziur Rahman, OC of Gaibandha Sadar Police Station, said cops picked up the 22-year-old from his shop at Shibpur bazar in the upazila around 5:00pm.
An abandoned crude bomb was recovered at the premises of Azimpur Judges' Quarter in the capital around 8:00pm yesterday, said Lalbagh police.
Rickshaw-puller Mojammel Haq, 40, was injured when a crude bomb went off in the capital's Katabon.
Law enforcers rounded up 35 BNP-Jamaat men in Satkhira, 11 in Jhenidah, 16 in Mymensingh, 14 in Chittagong and Chhatra Shibir leader Salman Farsi in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur.
DU STUDENTS DETAINED Locals beat up two Dhaka University students around 8:30am yesterday for allegedly blasting crude bombs near Jagannath Hall and handed them over to Rab. The Rab later handed them over to Shahbagh police.
Shahadat Nasir Shuvo and Hasanur Rahman are master's students at statistics and Arabic literature departments of the university. The two have been sued under the explosives act, said Sirajul Islam, OC of Shahbagh Police Station.
The DU authorities last night in a press release said they expelled the two students temporarily from the university as per the proctorial rule 5 (2).
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in a press release claimed that the arrestees are JCD activists. They were picked up from a procession in front of the Central Shaheed Minar. The procession was brought out demanding resignation of DU Vice-chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, added the release.
Our correspondents in Munshiganj, Rajshahi, Barisal, Satkhira, Ihenidah, Gaibandha, and Mymensingh contributed to this report.