1 killed: Hartal passing amid stray incidents

The nationwide daylong hartal, enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance to protest the ‘foiling’ of its Gazipur rally and demanding the release of its arrested leaders, is passing amid stray incidents. The shutdown began at 6:00am and will end at 6:00pm on Monday. A female school teacher was killed after being hit on the head by a brick chip hurled by picketers in Noakhali Sadar Upazila headquarters in the morning. In Dhaka, strikers clashed with police in Mirpur, Jatrabari, Mohakhali, Pallabi, Azimpur and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar areas. Supporters of the 20-party bloc brought out processions in support of the hartal in New Market, Azimpur, Pallabi, Mohakhali, Malibagh and Goran areas in the morning. Police foiled several of the processions and arrested 9 activists in connection with the processions. In Pallabi, hartal supporters blasted several bombs and hurled brickchips at passing vehicles. Police fired rubber bullets to disperse a procession brought out by BNP activists near Pallabi Super Market around 8:00am, leaving one injured with rubber bullets. The injured was rushed to a hospital. Around 7am, pickets exploded a crude bomb at Mohakhali Kancha Bazar. No inter-district bus left Dhaka city or any entered during the strike. In Bogra, vehicular movement was low while shops and educational institutions were closed. BNP-Jamaat activists brought out several processions in different areas of the district town. In Sylhet, police arrested BNP’s metropolitan unit convener Dr Shahriar Hossain Chowdhury along with 2 Chhatra Dal activists from Chouhatta Point in the city. Kotowali Police Station officer-in-charge Asaduzzaman said they were held for exploding crude bombs in the city in the morning. In Natore, hartal supporters set fire on used tyres on Natore-Dhaka highway. BNP supporters brought out several processions in Natore town in the morning, according to private TV channels.