Blasts, arrests mark blockade\\\'s 48th day

A transport worker succumbed to his injuries at the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) on Sunday, the 48th day of the ongoing non-stop blockade coupled with hartal, marked with arson attacks, blasts and arrests.

On the first day of the latest spell of 72-hour shutdown, bus helper Bappi (28), who was critically burnt and admitted at DMCH since February 12, following an arson attack on a bus of Alif Paribahan at Banasri in the city, breathed his last at the hospital at about 12:00 noon.

Reports of arson attacks, explosions and arrests were recorded in various districts of the country, including Dhaka, Gazipur, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bogra, Noakhali, Feni, Chittagong and Comilla.

In Dhaka, unknown miscreants torched a bus, parked in a petrol pump in Signboard area on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, in the afternoon. None was hurt in the petrol bomb attack, as there was no passenger inside the vehicle.

At least six people were injured in a series of bomb explosions in the city's Karwanbazar area.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Police Station Mazaharul Islam said pickets exploded seven hand-bombs in and outside the underpass in the area at around 12:30 pm, leaving at least six people injured.

Sharmin, a female student of Kobi Nazrul College, was injured in a blast at Laxmibazar in Old Dhaka in the afternoon. She came under the attack while going to the college for admission purpose.

She suffered splinter injuries on her back, and was rushed to DMCH for treatment, said Khalilur Rahman, OC of Sutrapur Police Station.

Police arrested Mamun, joint secretary of Jatiyotabadi Chhatra Dal Jagannath University (JnU) unit, from the spot in connection with the blast.

Unknown assailants hurled two bombs at a bus carrying students of Dhaka University in the morning.

Yunus Ali, the driver of Boishakhi Paribahan that was carrying DU students from Mirpur area to the campus, was injured in the attack. Police arrested a person in connection with the blast.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a drive arrested a young man from a slum in front of NITOR (Pongu Hospital), and recovered nine cocktails from his possession.

Apart from these, police picked up at least eight activists of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, from different parts of the capital in 24 hours till 9:00 am Sunday for subversive activities, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

In Narayanganj, two passengers were injured when a bus was firebombed in Siddhirganj area in the afternoon. The injured passengers were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

In Sylhet, pro-shutdown activists hurled at least five hand-bombs at a Dhaka-bound train - Joyontika Express - minutes after it started journey for the capital. However, none was injured, as the bombs blasted near the train.

In Kadamtoli, Keraniganj, RAB men in an overnight drive arrested two brothers along with four petrol bombs and five cocktails.

The arrestees were identified as Noor Hossain, joint convener of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Jinjira union unit, and his elder brother Kamal Hossain, vice-president of BNP union unit.

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