Stray incidents mark 4th day of blockade

The fourth day of the nationwide nonstop blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance was marked by stray incidents Friday, report agencies.
On the day the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office gate was unlocked once again like the previous day with her remaining inside.
Reaffirming that there had been telephone conversations between its chairperson and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president on Wednesday, BNP on Friday termed 'baseless and motivated' some media's 'misleading' reports about it.
"We want to clearly state that the media's Thursday's reports about telephone conversations between the BNP chief and BJP chief are cent percent correct," said a party statement singed by BNP chairperson's press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel.
It said BJP president Amit Shah enquired about Khaleda's condition through direct telephone conversations.
Mentioning that the party has noticed some media are providing confusing information about the telephone conversation, the party said it is highly unexpected to try to create confusion about it with a 'false' campaign by quoting an unnamed diplomat and other sources without verifying the matter from Amit Shah or his officials concerned.
However, the fourth day saw relatively less violence and arson attacks than the previous day.
In the capital, a bus of 'Balaka Paribahan' was torched near Nabisco point in Tejgaon Industrial area around 6:53pm.
Another vehicle was set afire by the blockaders at the Dholaikhal pickup stand in the city around 8:05pm.
At least four people, including a policeman, were injured as miscreants blasted two hand bombs in the city's Mirpur.
Some 24 people, including three cops, were injured in separate clashes between police and blockade supporters across the country. Police detained around 50 people during the clashes.
In Gaibandha, pickets set fire to two trucks and vandalised 21 vehicles on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway at Maheshpur in Palashbari upazila during the blockade.
In Bogra, pickets set ablaze a vegetable-laden truck on the Bogra-Rangpur highway at Baropur in the district town on Thursday night.
In Joypurhat, blockaders set fire to a coal-laden truck at Chimultali in Panchbibi upazila early Friday.
About 10 people were injured when blockaders clashed with police during demonstrations on the Jhenidah-Kushtia highway near Sheikhpara in Jhenidah.
In Sirajganj, a clash erupted between police and Jamaat-Shibir men on the Bogra-Nagarbari road, leaving 10 injured, including 2 cops. Police arrested three Shibir activists.
Police arrested 21 BNP and Jamaat activists in Sunamganj when the BNP and Jamaat men were trying to block Sylhet-Sunamganj road near Hajipara on Friday morning.
In Barisal, police dispersed a procession of BNP and JCD activists in Kawnia Textile Mills area of the city, said Sakhawat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station.
The disruption of road transportations continued like the last couple of days, increasing sufferings of the commuters.
The prices of essentials, vegetables and fruits also shot up due to the disruption in transportation.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia called the countrywide indefinite blockade from Tuesday as the government did not allow her party and allies to hold protest rallies in the capital.