Hartal in Kishoreganj to press for its 'undivided status'

2 November 2009, 17:00 PM

A Correspondent, Kishoreganj

People including different parties and organisations join demonstrations in Kishoreganj town yesterday demanding retention of the district's 'undivided status', right, agitators burn tyre on a road during the hartal. Photo: STAR

People from all walks of life yesterday joined a day-long hartal throughout Kishoreganj district demanding retention of the district's 'undivided status'. While taking part in a procession, one Mokbul Hossain, 65, of Bazitpur died of cardiac arrest. The shopkeepers kept their shutters down and government offices, educational institutions, banks and other financial organisations remained closed during the day-long hartal called in protest against move to include three of its upazilas with proposed Bhairab district. People joined protest rallies and demonstrations throughout the district as leaders and workers of all the major political parties participated in the hartal. All types of vehicular movement remained suspended while six train services could not operate as the agitating people put barricades on rail tracks at different places of the district. Picketers also put burning objects on roads. District Bar President Mia Muhammad Ferdous led the agitation programme organised by Zila Akhandata Rakkha Sangram Parishad in the town. Black flag was also hoisted at places in protest against the move to include a part of Kishoreganj with proposed Bhairab district. Locals put up barricade at Manikkhali rail track, preventing running of Kishoreganj-Dhaka intercity Egarosindur Express and Bhairab-Mymensingh local train service. To continue movement against the initiative to include Nikli upazila with proposed Bhairab district, a citizens' committee was formed with lawmaker Afzal Hossain as convenor. A Janapratinidhi Sangram Parishad was also formed with upazila Chairman Iqbal Hossain as convenor. Kishoreganj Zila Sammilita Chhatra-Jubo Forum on Saturday started observing a three-day black flag hoisting programme in the town. They also collected mass signature on a one kilometre-long paper. Earlier on Sunday, people of Nikli upazila barricaded Dhanu River route at Singpur, barring plying of hundreds of cargos, launches, trawlers and boats. A Correspondent reports from Narsingdi: Sammilita Nagorik Samaj organised a rally on Mahmudabad High School ground on Sunday demanding declaration of Raipura upazila a distrct. Public representatives and political leaders addressed the rally. Later the agitators put barricade at Nilkuti on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, creating tailback on both sides of the road.