BNP calls 48-hr fresh blockade from Sunday

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced a 48-hour blockade across the country from 6 am on Sunday to 6 am on Tuesday next week.
The party's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the blockade at an online press conference on Thursday, as the party's three-day nationwide blockade ended on Thursday.
He said the BNP and like-minded political camps will hold the blockade to press home their demand for a non-partisan poll-time caretaker government and the resignation of the prime minister.
The opposition's other demands include the release of top party leaders and activists who were arrested during police crackdown on the blockade.
Rizvi also announced special prayers in mosques across the country after Friday prayers in memory of those killed in violence since the October 28 mass gathering.
With sporadic violence, police firing, arson, three BNP men killed and thousands arrested, the three-day all-out blockade programme ended on Thursday. Traffic began to normalise on Thursday afternoon, the third and final day of the blockade.
Similar to the previous two days, the final day of the BNP blockade was marked by thin traffic on Dhaka streets, highways and city roads, incidents of arson and clashes with police in several districts.
On Thursday, at least five vehicles were set on fire and several were vandalised.
In Dhaka, two buses were torched in Azampur and Mohammadpur. Unidentified individuals set a Paristhan Paribahan bus on fire around 7:00 am in Azampur, which was extinguished half an hour later. Another Moumita Paribahan bus was set on fire around 4:40 am in the Beribadh area of Mohammadpur and was extinguished around 5:10 am.
A private car also caught fire in the Bakshibazar area at 4:45 am and the fire was put out by 5:03 am.
In Narayanganj, two trucks were set on fire and several vehicles were vandalised. Police said four individuals, who identified themselves as former JCD leaders, were detained while torching a covered van and a truck in Rupganj upazila around 6:15 am. Police used shotgun bullets to disperse a group of BNP supporters who had blocked the highway and set vehicles on fire.
In Chattogram, miscreants set a bus on fire and vandalised two others in Rangunia upazila. The incident occurred near the Chandraghona Gana School area on Chandraghona-Chattogram-Kaptai Road around 4:00 am. Fire service officials extinguished the blaze later.
Clashes, vehicle vandalism and arson incidents also occurred in Bogura on Thursday.
Police fired tear gas shells at BNP activists and leaders in the Tinmatha area of the town. BNP leaders and activists threw bricks and two crude bombs exploded during the clash, according to police.
The BNP party office has remained locked since October 28, following clashes that resulted in at least two fatalities on the day.
Over four dozen police officers were stationed in front of the party office. Earlier, the police had installed crime scene tapes in the BNP party office, which were missing on Thursday.

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