l Govt enforces curfew for
an indefinite period
l It announces three-day
general holidays from today
l Protesters declare long march
to Dhaka for Monday
At least 88 people were killed and several hundreds injured in deadly clashes between police, Awami League activists and protesters across the country on Sunday, the first day of non-cooperation movement enforced by Anti–Discrimination Student Movement demanding the resignation of the government.
The deceased include students, policemen and AL activists. Dozens of journalists were also injured in the countrywide clashes.
At least 13 policemen were killed as protesters attacked Enayetpur Police Station in Sirajganj.
In Dhaka, at least six people, including a student and an AL leader, were killed while some 62 people sustained bullet injuries during clashes at Science Lab and Uttara as these areas turned into battlefields during protests.
The AL man was identified as Anwarul Islam, a leader of AL north city unit. Abdullah Siddique (23), a student of Habibullah Bahar College, was killed in a clash that erupted when both sides tried to establish supremacy on the streets.
Amid violence, Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on Sunday declared long march to Dhaka for Monday. Asif Mahmud, one of the coordinators of the platform, urged the people from all over the country to join the programme.
Besides, there will be a rally of labourers at Shahbagh at 11:00 am and a rally of women at the Central Shaheed Minar at 5:00 pm on Monday.
“We will declare a final programme from the long march,” he said. As violence was escalating, the government has imposed a countrywide curfew from 6:00 pm on Sunday for an indefinite period and declared a three-day general holiday from Monday.
All the proceedings of the Appellate Division and High Court (HC) Division of the Supreme Court (SC) will remain closed for an indefinite period from Monday.
Supreme Court Administration through separate notifications said the legal and official proceedings of the Appellate Division, HC Division, lower courts, and tribunals will remain closed till further order.
“The curfew has been imposed in Dhaka metropolitan area and all divisional headquarters, city corporations, municipalities, industrial areas, district and upazila headquarters,” said a notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday.
“The curfew will remain in force until further notice,” it mentioned.
Earlier, AL activists took positions on different city streets since the morning, aiming at resisting the protesters as the movement is not controlled by the general students.
Incidents of chase and counter-chase took place at various points, including Science Lab, Uttara, Jatiya Press Club, Mirpur-10 and other areas, leaving several hundred injured. Many of them sustained bullet wounds.
At least 41-people received bullet wounds during a battle between the AL activists and protesters.
The Science Lab along with other parts of Dhanmodi area turned into a battleground as both sides were locked in fierce clashes.
Witnesses said the clash ensued at about 11:00am at Science Lab and it spread to Jigatola and other areas. Lab Aid Hospital sources said that three received live bullets while the rest received rubber bullets.
A fierce clash broke out between AL activists and protesters at Uttara about 12:00 noon. At least 22 were bullet-hit during the clash, witnesses said.
Hospital sources said some 13 were undergoing treatment at Crescent Hospital and nine at Uttara Modern Hospital. During the clash, police opened fire, lobbed teargas shells and used sound grenade to disperse the protesters.
The protesters also pelted brickbats and vandalized an AL office and set some motorcycles on fire.
At Shahbagh, some vehicles parked in front of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital were set ablaze during clashes between protesters and AL activists. Witnesses said that several motorcycles and other
vehicles, parked along the road in front of the hospital, were set on fire.
Protesters alleged that ruling party activists set fire to those vehicles.
Witnesses said when some activists of AL and Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the AL, tried to intercept protesters near the hospital, the protesters chased them.
In Narsingdi, six leaders and activists of AL were killed while four protesters suffered bullet injuries during a clash at Madhabdi Bus Stand in Sadar upazila.
Five of the deceased were identified as Delwar Hossain, 40, Chardigoldi union parishad chairman, Delwar, 38, a local Jubo League leader, Moniruzzaman Bhuiya alias Nati Monir, 42, a Sramik League leader, Anisur Rahman Sohel, 40, a Sramik League leader, and Nousher, 40, ward-11 commissioner of Madhabdi municipality while the identity of another deceased could not be known immediately.
Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Madhabdi Police Station, said the protesters gathered at Madhabdi Bus Stand area around 1:00 pm.
When the protesters brought out a procession, the ruling party supporters opened fire, leaving four protesters injured.
The injured were identified as Sumon Mia, 35, Soyeb, 41, Al Amin, 25, and Mir Jahangir, 30.
Of the injured, Jahangir was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Witnesses said angered by the firing, the protesters and local people chased the ruling party supporters.
The protesters caught six of them and beat them up, leaving them dead on the spot.
Apart from these, six people were killed in Narsingdi, eight in Feni, eight in Luxmipur, 22, including 13 policemen in Sirajganj, four in Kishoreganj, six in Dhaka, five in Bogura, three in Munshiganj, four in Magura, three in Bhola, four in Rangpur, three in Pabna, four in Sylhet, three in Cumilla, two in Sherpur, and one each in Joypurhat, Habiganj and Barishal.
