Wednesday • January 10, 2007

Cops attack blockaders with brute force; many picked up

Police yesterday prevented the leaders and activists of the Awami League-led mega-combine from laying a siege to Bangabhaban, the official residence and workplace of the President, resorting to indiscriminate baton charge, lobbing of tear gas canisters and firing of rubber bullets at Bangabandhu Avenue, Fakirapool, Joi Kali Mandir Road and Ittefaq intersection that left at least 200 including combine leaders Tofail Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Dilip Barua, Nurul Islam injured. At least 50 activists of the mega-combine were picked up by police during the series of clashes in the city.

On the third day of their non-stop countrywide rail-road-waterway-port blockade program, the Awami League-led mega-combine comprising the 14-party alliance, Jatiya Party (Ershad), Liberal Democratic Party, Zaker Party and a faction of the Islami Oikya Jote planned to lay a siege to Bangabhaban to press for realization of their various demands including stepping down of President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed from the post of the Chief Adviser, rescheduling the polls, publication of a corrected, flawless and updated voter list and refraining from deployment of the members of the armed forces.

In the capital, the major incident of the day occurred on Bangabandhu Avenue at the fag-end of a public rally of the mega-combine at about 1-30 in the afternoon when police picked up a female activist in their van from a procession of Jubo Mahila League. Later the riot-gear police chased the pickets, charged indiscriminate batons and then lobbed at least 200 tear gas canisters and fired rubber bullets in which over 100 leaders and activists including the aforesaid leaders of the mega-combine and photojournalist Rafiqur Rahman Roki suffered injuries.

The clashes continued for nearly two hours and spread to nearby Golap Shah Mazar, Noor Hossain Square, Syed Nazrul Islam Sarani and the lanes and by-lanes of Ramna Bhaban and the adjoining Awami League central office on Bangabandhu Avenue. The charging police force didn't even spare children and passers-by of their merciless assault. Some of them were found kicking people as they fell on the ground upon being hit by the law enforcers. As the central leaders of the mega-combine were roughed up by police, the activists became more furious and launched brick-batting continuously taking position in many buildings there and the strong contingent of police lobbed tear gas shells turning the entire central parts of the capital into a venue of riot.

Later, police charged baton on a procession of the mega-combine led by Tofail Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Md Nurul Islam, Dilip Barua and Ruhul Amin Howladar at about 2-30 pm when the marchers reached near Noor Hossain Square. However, the activists of Awami League and its associate bodies protected Tofail Ahmed by creating a human-shield to save him from police action but the other had to suffer the wrath of the baton-wielding law enforcement personnel.

Giving his immediate reaction to newsmen at the spot, Tofail Ahmed lamented that the caretaker government of Prof Iajuddin Ahmed had brought the police force, which had an immense contribution to the country's Liberation War, face-to-face with the people to implement Khaleda-Nizami's blueprint to arrange a farcical poll to install Khaleda Zia at the helm of state affairs again.

He alleged that on the orders of some over-ambitious partisan police officials, the brutal action against the opposition leaders and workers was carried out without any provocation.

Tofail Ahmed requested the police force to refrain from oppressing the peaceful demonstrators of the mega-combine who are in the movement for restoration of people's franchise in a transparent and credible election.

In another incident of clashes on the day at Fakirapool area, police swooped on a march of the mega-combine led by acting president of Dhaka City Awami League AKM Rahamatullah and its joint secretary Haji Mohammad Selim and indiscriminately charged baton on the marchers who were proceeding towards Dainik Bangla intersection at about 11-25 am.

The marchers of the large procession then locked into clashes with police by showering stone-chips and blasting crackers on the law enforcers while the latter retaliated by charging baton and then lobbing around a hundred tear gas shells and firing rubber bullets turning the area into a battle field. Soon the clashes spread to nearby lanes and alleys and the pickets who took refuge there went on brick-batting for nearly an hour.

Later, a small procession led by Awami League leaders Asaduzzaman Noor and Rahamatullah marched towards RAJUK Extension Road from Dainik Bangla intersection and staged a sit-in demonstration near Fakirapool overhead water tank. Police encircled the pickets first and then charged baton on them and dragged many into their vans from the spot. Soon the clashes between stone-throwing pickets and club-wielding police flared up to nearby Paltan, Jatiya Krira Parishad, lanes and by-lanes and Notre dame College areas. At least 30 people suffered injuries to two-stages of clashes there while police picked up at least 25 activists and pedestrians from the spot there.

Police also swung into action against the mega-combine demonstrators at Ittefaq intersection and Joi Kali Mandir Road in the morning when the pickets tried to march towards Bangabhaban from Motijheel, Sutrapur, Kotwali and Demra police stations by removing barbed wire fences at both the spots. Mega-combine leaders Syed Abu Hossain Babla, Kazi Mainul Islam Manu and Advocate Sanjida Khatun led the marchers at Ittefaq intersection while Sayeed Khokon and Abu Ahmed Mannafi led the marchers on Joi Kali Mandir Road. At both the places the aggressive police forces swooped on the marchers and dispersed them by charging baton and lobbing tear gas canisters.

The clashes spilled over into nearby roads of Gopibagh and Wari neighbourhoods.

Since early morning sporadic marches of the mega-combine converged on Bangabandhu Avenue and its adjoining areas from different city wards to lay a siege to Bangabhaban while artistes of different cultural bodies rendered chorus and solo patriotic and mass songs to encourage the pickets.

Earlier, speaking at public rallies during the demonstrations on Bangabandhu Avenue and its adjoining points, leaders of the mega-combine instructed the leaders and activists across the country to take all-out preparations to foil the January 22 farcical polls at any cost.

Awami League presidium member Abdur Razzak alleged that the four Advisers tendered resignation at a time due to the arrogant attitude of Prof Iajuddin for not honoring the five-point package offer of the Council of Advisers and for not convening the regular meetings of the advisory council on every Monday at the dictates of his mentors Khaleda Zia and Matiur Rahman Nizami.

"He (President) is solely responsible for pushing the country towards confrontation by arranging a mockery of polls on January 22. The mega-combine along with the people will thwart such an evil design of Iajuddin," Abdur Razzak said.

Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim, Mukul Bose, Abdul Mannan, Akhteruzzaman, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Advocate Sahara Khatun, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Huq Inu, Ruhul Amin Howladar, Syed Zafar Sajjad, Shirin Akhter, Md Nurul Islam, Dilip Barua, Dr Asit Baron Roy, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Habibur Rahman Mollah, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam, Ashrafunnesa Mosharraf, Fazilatunessa Indira, Pankaj Debnath, among others, spoke at these rallies.

As the mega-combine concentrated on laying a siege to Bangabhaban yesterday, blockade program was observed in other scheduled spots in the capital including Russell Square, Mirpur Square-10, Jatrabari, Kanchpur, Shyamoli, Chawk Bazar and Mohakhali.

The capital city, however, remained isolated from the rest of the city for the third consecutive day yesterday due to the three-day blockade program of the mega-combine.

Operations at Chittagong seaport and land ports at Hili in Joypurhat, Benapole in Jessore and Akhaura in Brahmanbaria districts came to a halt for the third consecutive day yesterday due to the blockade.

Most of the shops, shopping complexes, private business houses and educational institutions remained closed while buses did not operate from the city's four inter-district bus terminals.

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