One more dies as blockade drags on

One more person succumbed to his burn injuries Monday as a 36-hour nationwide hartal, amid a staggering blockade, ended with some left wounded in explosions or imprisoned on charges of sabotage.  

The general strike came to an end at 6:00pm Monday, the 21st day of the indefinite blockade also called by the BNP-led 20-party alliance having failed to hold party's scheduled 'Murder of Democracy Day' rallies on the first anniversary of the 10th national election on January 5.

Abdul Malek, 50, finally lost his battle for life against fatal petrol-bomb wounds at the Intensive Care Unit of Rangpur Medical College Hospital's burn unit in the afternoon, Deputy Director of the hospital Dr Abdul Quader Khan said.

Malek got trapped in tragedy when suspected blockaders lobbed a petrol bomb into a truck in Dinajpur on Wednesday night while he was going to his hometown by the truck from Dhaka.

A total of 22 activists of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Hizb ut-Tahrir were arrested by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) personnel from the capital on the day.  

They were charged with "subversive acts".

Explosions of crude bombs were also reported on the CMM Court premises and in Shahbagh area of the capital city.

Reports of detention also came from Brahmanbaria, Thakurgaon, Comilla, Noakhali, Chuadanga, Jessore, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Munshiganj, Bogra and Laxmipur districts.

In Brahmanbaria, police in an overnight drive arrested more than 100 persons, including general secretary of BNP's municipality unit Ali Azam.

In Jessore, a total of 56 leaders and activists of the opposition alliance were also arrested on charges of subversive activities from various parts of the eight upazilas of the district.

Some 29 persons were arrested in Laxmipur, 20 in Bogra, 12 in Chittagong, 14 in Comilla and six in Noakhali.        

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