Protests, shock wave across country
As the news spread, people led by Awami League and other oppsoition parties poured on streets at several district towns Saturday evening, holding rallies and bringing out processions demanding resignation of the Four-party Alliance government.
Spontaneous hartal was observed in several districts including Sylhet, Chitagong, Brahmanparia, Pabna, Pirojpur, Kushtia, Bhola, Habiganj and Jamalpur yesterday at the call of local Awami League units, our correspondents reported.
Our Kushtia Correspondent reports: A down-to-dusk hartal was observed in Kushtia yesterady at the call of the distruict Awami League.
Earlier, in the evening on Saturday, at least 20 Awami League leaders and activists were injured when unidentified people attacked a protest procession brouhgt out in the district town in protest against the heinous grenade attack.
The procession was brought out from in front of AL office at Arupara. It came under attack when it was crossing at Kushtia Chamber of Commerce and Industries office at about 8 pm.
The attackers swooped on the rally from behind with lethal weapons.
The injured men are Chhatra League central leader advocate Masud Karim Mithu, its Kushtia district vice-president Altaf Hossain and activists Pravat Kumar Majum-dar, Titu and Jubo League leader Babu, MA Alamgir, Reza Choudhury Bulbul and Robin Sheikh. Of them, Babu was admitted to Kushtia General Hospital and the rest were given first aid at different clinics.
Local Awami League laeaders condemned the attack and warned of retaliation if further attack is made.
In a separate statements, Kushtia AL and its front organisations and the Islamic University Bangbandhu Parishad condemned the Dhaka incident, saying the attack was aimed at killing AL chief Sheikh Hasina.
Our Brahmanbaria Correspondent reports: A peaceful hartal was observed in the district yesterday at the call of the district Awami League.
All educational institutions, markets including kitchen markets and shopping malls were closed. Vehicles were off the roads. Government offices howver functioned normally.
Awami League leaders and activists brought out several processions in the town during the hartal hours, carrying banners and chanting slogans demanding resignation of the government.
A rally was held in front of the party office in the town with district AL President advocate Lutful Hie in the chair.
It was addressed by, among other, district AL's Acting Secretary Aminul Haque Sentu, former pourashabha chairman Helal Uddin, AL Joint Secretary Major (Retd) Jahirul Haque Khan Beer Prothik, Organisis Secretary Mojibur Rahman, Mahbubul Bari Chowdhury Monti, Abdul Awal, advocate Mahbul Alam Khokan, Sirajul Islam Ferdous, Shafiq Rahman Ripon, Hussain Sarwar, Iqbal Hossain, Niaz Uddin Yousuf and Jiban Mia.
The rally was followed by a gayebana janaza for those killed in Dhaka.
Similar programmes were also held in upazila headquarters.
On Saturday evening, angry AL activists, joined by people brought out a procession in the town. Some vehicles were danaged by some unruly actrivists
Our Barisal Correspondent reports: Hartal was observed peacefully in Pirojpur and Bhola districts at the call of local Awami League units.
No untoward incident was reported from the two districts during the hartal hours.
In district towns, all markets, shops and educational institutions remained closed and vehicles kept off roads. Awami League and its front organizations brought out processions and held rallies at the two district headquarters.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Despite alleged threats by JCD and Jubo Dal activuists, AL and its front organisations held protest meetings and brought out small processions in Barisal city yesterday.
Activists of JCD and Jubo Dal kept the city roads virtually occupied so that opposition parties can not hold any programme.
Divided into several groups, motorcycle-mounted activists moved on the city streets since Saturday evening, creating panic.
Some AL activists alleged that JCD activists went to their houses and threatened them not to hold any programme on streets.
AL men were seen coming on streets ingroups, holding brief demonstrations and disappearing into alleys.
City AL Convenor Shawkat Hossain Hiron alleged that JCD activits threatened him and some other party leaders at their houses Saturday night. Police also went to their houses and inquired about them, Hiron alleged.
Awami Ainjibi Parishad brought out a procession yesterday morning in the city, followed by a rally at the Court Point. It was addressed, by among others, advocate Jahangir Hossain, Laskar Nurul Haque, Shahidul Islam, Sheikh Abdul Kader, Saidur Rahman and Golam Masud Bablu.
At Kashipur near the city, AL activists barricaded the Barisal-Dhaka highway early morning yesterday.
Police removed the barricade. It was alleged that while removing the barricade, some policemen ransacked the nearby house of local AL activist Jalakader Molla and beat inmates.
But Kotwali thana OC Sharum Khan denied, saying police entered the house to protect the inmates when some ruling aprty activists swooped on it.
In Shawroad area in the city, JCD activists snatched microphones and beat Krishak League activists Zakir and Moni when they were making publicity for a gayabana zanaja to be held in the afternoon.
Earlier, on Saturday evening, as the news of attack on AL rally in Dhaka spread in Barisal city, AL leaders and workers joined by people came on streets in large numbers and brought out spontaneous processions in several araes.
Jubo League workers baricaded the road at Amtalar crossing in the city. Police removed the barricade. BCL leaders and workers brought out processions on Bandh Road, Alekanda and Batlala areas in the city, chanting sloagans demanding resignation of the government.
Our Nilphamari Correspondent reports: A polls rally of Awami League and its front organisations for the upcoming Nilphamari pourasabha election, held at the municipal auditorium Saturday evening, turned into a spontaneous protest procession as the news of attack on AL rally in Dhaka reached the town.
Hundreds of people joined the procession led by Awami League central Publicity Secretary Asaduzza-man Noor MP. The processionists paraded the differernt streets of the town chanting various anti-government slogans.
The procession eneded in a rally, held on the Smrity Amlan premies. Asaduzzaman Noor and other local AL leaders addressed the rally, demanding an impartial probe into the Dhaka incidents and resignation ofm the government.
Additional police have been deployed in the town as tension mounted.
People were seen crowding in front of TV sets in the town to sees the latest news on the incident.
Our Satkhira Correspondent reports: Awami League leaders and activists brought out two processions on Saturday evening protecting the attack on AL rally in Dhaka. The porcessionists chanted anti-government slogams while parading different streets in the town.
The processions ended in a rally at the Post Office intersection in the town.
AL leader Sheikh Nurul Haq presided over the rally, addressed by, among others, Abu Ahmed, Sheikh Maroof Hasan Mithu and Kazi Akhtar Hossain.
The speakers accused so-called Islamist millitants under the patronisation of the government for the attack and called for unity of pro-liberation forces to resist such dastardly acts.
They condemned the attack and demanded arrest of the culprits. T
Our Manikganj Correspondent reports: The district units of Awami League, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Gono Forum yesterday jointly brought out a mourning procession in the town condemning the bomb attack on the AL meeting in Dhaka and held a gayebana janaja on the Court Mosque premises after Johr prayers for those killed.
Leaders of the parties briefly spoke after the gayebana janaja.
Manikganj AL President Golam Mohiuddin said such a pre-planned attack is not possible without government backing.
JSD-Inu Joint Secretary Iqbal Hossain Khan called upon all pro-liberation frorces to unite to launch a movement to pull down the government.
The leaders also urged their party workers to get ready for an all out movement to overthrow the government.
Our Netrakona Correspondent reports: As the news of attack on Awami League rally in Dhaka reached the small town, AL men came on the streets and brought out spontaneous processions, joined by people.
The chanted various anti-government slogans while parading the main streets.
Some unruly activists damaged some vehicles.
The procession turned into a spontaneous protest rally, held in front of AL office with Shamsujjuha, president of Netrakona district AL, in the chair.
It was addressed by, among others, district AL General Secretary Ashraf Ali Khan, Netrakona Pourasova Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan and other leaders of the party and its front organisations.
They bitterly condemned the attact and called uopn all democratic forces to unite to resist such attacks.
A Correspondent reports from Bhola: A peaceful hartal was observed in Bhola yesterday in protest against the attack on Awami League rally in Dhaka.
AL and its fornt organisations brought out a procession in Bhola town Saturday night protesting the incident.
After the procession, a rally was field in front of AL office. With Mofazzal Hossain in the chair, the rally was addressed by, among others, Mostaque Hossain Shahin, Julfikar Ahmed, Nazrul Islam Golder, Abdul Momin Tulu and Fazlur Kader Mojnu.
They bitterly condemned the brutal attacked and blamed the ruling four-party alliance for this. They demanded an impartial probe into the incident and punishment of the culprits. The government will be dislodged unkess the culprits are punished, they asid.
They called upon all prograssive and pro-liberation forces to rise against the government's "misrule".
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