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| Bangladesh |
| Around 600 held ahead of hartal |
| 2010-11-29 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] The main opposition BNP ran a campaign across the country yesterday to drum up public support for tomorrow's countrywide hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... amid obstructions from law enforcers at different places. Police jugged about 600 people in different parts of the country yesterday ahead of the dawn-to-dusk hartal. BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain claimed at least a thousand leaders and activists of the party and its front organisations were jugged and more than 500 injured in police attacks on opposition activists until 12:00noon. The State Minister for home affairs, Shamsul Hoque Tuku, however said none was jugged in connection with the opposition's protest programmes. "Police did not arrest anyone without specific charges," he told news hounds at his office. Top police officials said they would ensure safety of commuters and operation of public transport and shops during the hartal. Law enforcers charged truncheons on a pro-hartal rally in Natore injuring at least 10 people including former deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu. Ruling party activists clashed with opposition supporters in Khulna leaving 24 people maimed. Clashes between the opposition activists and those of the ruling party occurred in Barisal. A number of opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami expressed support for the hartal and urged people to make it a success. Acting Jamaat Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam at a press briefing at the party's central office called upon people to observe the hartal peacefully. BNP held rallies and brought out processions at all divisional headquarters as part of its six-day protest programme that began on November 25. It will do the same today to garner public support for the hartal. BNP standing committee on November 22 announced a set of protest programmes including hartal to "save democracy and the country". Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia held talks with like-minded political parties and professional bodies and sought their support for the party programmes. She asked the leaders of BNP Dhaka city unit to be on the streets during hartal. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Hartalmania! |
| Posted by: ryuge 2010-11-29 16:00 |