Driver burnt alive

Yet another life perished and over two dozen vehicles were torched yesterday in the violence that have been plaguing the nation since the BNP-led alliance enforced an indefinite countrywide blockade, coupled with intermittent hartals, on January 6.

With the latest death in Jamaat-stronghold Chapainawabganj, 81 people have so far been killed, mostly in arson attacks, in the mindless violence.

A total of 26 vehicles were burnt, government and bank offices were attacked and people's suffering continued across the country on the third day of this week's hartal enforced by the 20-party combine.

Apparently unmoved by the public sufferings, the BNP-Jamaat alliance, like in the past few weeks, yesterday extended its hartal till 6:00am Friday.

The announcement deals a further blow to SSC examinees. Driven by security concerns, the government postponed the Secondary School Certificate and its equivalent examinations scheduled for today. A new date for the exams will be announced later, said the education ministry.

This was the 10th time that the exams had to be rescheduled due to the ongoing unrest stemming from a government-opposition standoff over a fresh election.

BOMB ATTACKS

A driver was burnt alive and his assistant suffered serious burns after alleged hartal pickets firebombed their pick-up in Shibganj of Chapainawabganj around 5:00am yesterday.

The dead was Shipon Mia, 30, of Pokhia village in Bhola's Borhanuddin upazila. His helper Shakil Ahmed, 15, hails from Mirsarai of Chittagong.

Superintendent Bashir Ahmed of Chapainawabganj police said a group of 10-15 pro-hartal activists waylaid the vehicle from Narayanganj in Buspotti area on Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid Land Port highway and hurled a petrol bomb at it.

Driver Shipon was burnt dead inside the cabin but Shakil managed to jump out, witnesses said.

Locals sent Shakil to Shibganj Upazila Health Complex initially. From there, he was shifted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.

With 80 percent burns, he was in "an extremely critical condition", said the hospital doctors.

In another incident, a truck was firebombed at Shantir More of Chapainawabganj town around 11:00am. Driver Mohammad Salad, 28, was injured in the incident. Two more trucks were burnt in the same way in the town around 12:00pm, leaving the drivers Rajib, 25, and Akhtarul Islam, 45, injured.

Later around 11:30 at night, around 50-60 hartal supporters set fire to six trucks and vandalised three more at Sonamasjid Koylabari Truck Terminal, close to the land port and a camp of Border Guard Bangladesh.

In the capital, rickshaw-puller Mominul Haque was hurt in a crude bomb blast at Shantinagar. Two youths -- Sohag and Mainuddin -- were injured after hartal pickets exploded homemade bombs on the premises of Dhaka Medical College Hospital [DMCH]. One more person was injured in a similar blast in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh.

In Narayanganj, miscreants hurled crude and petrol bombs at a Modern Paribahan bus at Ukilpara around 7:00pm, burning its driver Jahangir Alam.

No passengers were inside during the attack, said police.

In Joypurhat, hartal supports torched a bus on Joypurhat-Bogra highway near Baniapara village of Sadar upazila around 10:20am.

In Noakhali, alleged pickets torched a truck at Datterhat and a mini bus at Maijdee Natun Bus Stand. Helper Monir Hossain, 21, of the mini bus was injured, said police.

Around 9:15pm, suspected hartal-supporters firebombed a wheat-laden truck on Sonapur-Maijdee road at Datterhat under Noakhali Sadar upazila.

Driver Md Ismail, 60, of Hazipur village in the districts' Begumganj upazila was injured in the attack. He was admitted to Noakhali Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College Hospital. Police arrested a suspect in this connection.

In Feni, hartal supporters set alight a passenger bus and a wood-laden truck. However, passengers of the bus, attacked around 8:00pm, managed to escape unhurt.

In Comilla, pickets hurled a petrol bomb at a truck. Driver Monir Hossain, 50, and his assistant Joj Miah, 32, were critically burnt and rushed to the DMCH.

OFFICES ATTACKED

In BNP-stronghold Bogra, alleged blockaders burnt down the Sherpur upazila command office of Muktijoddha Sangsad, freedom fighters' body, on the upazila parishad premises around 4:00am.

Sherpur Upazila Commander KM Obaidur Rahman said 50 chairs, four tables, 11 file cabinets, an almirah, some ceiling fans and all the doors and windows were gutted in the fire.

He filed a case with Sherpur Police Station against unnamed miscreants.

In Rangpur, alleged hartal pickets hurled crude bombs at the Rangpur Corporate Branch of the state-run Sonali Bank and the district office of the Anti Corruption Commission.

Police said pickets riding on motorcycles hurled two crude bombs each at the Sonali Bank and the ACC offices around 11:00am. Two cases were filed under the Explosives Substances Act following the attacks.