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 2004-10-11,  Politics,  matamat
Hartal disrupts life as cops club pickets


AL-called hartal bites as 4-party alliance steps into 4th year in power

Police charged batons and rounded up scores of opposition activists in Dhaka Sunday as an anti-government general strike disrupted normal life and businesses across the country.

Witnesses said at least 30 people including policemen were injured and about 100 including mid-ranking opposition Awami League leaders arrested during sporadic clashes between police and stone throwing protestors in the capital city in first few hours of the dawn-to-dusk shut down.

Schools, shops, business houses and private offices remained closed and traffic movement was thin in Dhaka City.

Opposition Awami League, JSD (Inu) and NAP (M) enforced the shut down from 6 am to press Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s alliance government to quit for rising terrorism, bombs and grenade attacks on opposition rallies and public places, corruption, extortion, nepotism and price-hike of essentials.

Sunday’s strike also coincides with completion of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s three years in office.

The authorities deployed huge riot police and paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles to maintain order in the capital.

Awami League leaders and members of parliament brought out groups' processions in the city demanding resignation of the Khaleda Zia’s government.

Police charged batons on the demonstrators at different places including old Dhaka, Matijheel, Malibagh, Mahakhali, Dahnmondi, Tejgaon, and Airport areas where pickets and police chased and counter-chased each other.

Witnesses said Awami League youth and sports secretary Dewan Sharif Arefin Tutul and Mahila Awami League leader Ashrafunnesa Mosharraf were picked up along with 20 others while picketing at Dhanmondi Road no 32. Police also arrested party’s social welfare secretary Prof Nazma Rahman and two others while leading a procession at Malibagh area.

Awami League leader Col (Rtd) Farooq Khan MP led a procession near Airport when police picked up 15 pickets. Police dispersed pickets at Jatrabari, Mahakhali and Tejgaon areas.

Police and pickets clashed with each other at Nawabpur and police dispersed a procession led by former AL MP Haji Selim in old Dhaka. Police charged batons on a procession led by Asaduzzaman Noor MP at Matijheel and picked up seven from the procession.

On Dhaka University campus police charged batons on a Chhatra League procession near Arts building at about 11am. Seven students including BCL president Liakat Sikder and vice president Boloram Poddar were injured. Three arrested student leaders were Maksudul Alam Dablu, Raiha and Tanjin Ahmed Mithun.

Awami League presidium member Tofael Ahmed said despite police action, the strike was underway peacefully and successfully. He said people expressed their no confidence on the government through the spontaneous observance of the strike.

AL-called hartal bites as 4-party alliance steps into 4th year in power

A nationwide general strike called by main opposition Awami League hit Bangladesh Sunday as Prime Minister Khaleda Zia stepped into her fourth year in power.

The strike has been called to denounce what the Awami League alleges "misdeeds of three years" by Zia's four-party Islamist-alliance government which came to power for a five-year term after a landslide electoral victory in 2001. Zia's government was sworn-in on this day in 2001 by the country's then President Shahabuddin Ahmed.

Pickets marched on the streets of capital Dhaka amid tight security, but there were no immediate reports of violence.

A number of state-run buses, taxis and rickshaws operated in some parts of the city crammed with 12 million people.


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