Police go tough on hartal supporters

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com)?Police have continued their clampdown on the activists of 12 parties, mostly Islamist who are enforcing a 30-hour countrywide lockdown.

Two of the 12 parties claimed that police arrested over 550 of their supporters around the country since the beginning of the hartal at 6am on Sunday.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), which at the last moment backed away from the alliance of the 12 parties, alone claimed that over 500 of its activists have been arrested while Khelafat-e-Majlish put their figure at 50.

The shutdown is being enforced to push for restoration of 'Absolute Faith and Trust in Allah' in and dropping of secularism from the constitution.

The other parties are Sammilita Olama Mashayekh Parishad, National Democratic Party, Islami Oikya Andolon, Bangladesh Muslim League, Bangladesh NAP, NAP Bhasani, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, Islamic Party and Nezam-e- Islami Party.

Opposition BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami extended their support to the general strike.

The IAB office at Purana Paltan was cordoned off by police since morning, who also obstructed its supporters on several occasions from parading down the streets.

The bdnews24.com correspondent reported from the spot that whenever the IAB supporters were trying to come out, they were facing arrest.

Lawmen obstructed IAB processions at many parts of the city and elsewhere in the country, party leaders said.

IAB publicity secretary Ahmad Abdul Qaiyum claimed that police had arrested over 500 of its supporters from across the country since morning.

Police earlier on Saturday had detained 56 of their activists, he added.

The outfit's Dhaka city unit chief A T M Hemayetuddin alleged that they were barred to exercise their democratic right. "The police role proves that the country is ruled by an autocratic government. But our movement will continue," he told bdnews24.com.

Meanwhile, pickets of Khlefat-e-Majlish were not seen on the streets after 10 people, including its secretary-general Nezam Uddin, were arrested in the early hours of the hartal.

Police picked up 50 supporters of Khelafat from across the country as they tried to bring out processions in support of the hartal, its publicity secretary Jalal Uddin told bdnews24.com.

Although opposition BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, which had enforced a 48-hour countrywide general strike from 6am on Wednesday, extended their support to the blockade, they were not seen on the streets.

The BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan had been cordoned and locked by police since morning. Several hundred law enforcers were deployed there.

In Panchabati and Kanchpur of Narayanganj, over 50 people including 10 policemen were injured in clashes.

Apart from fighting pickets on the streets, reinforced lawmen kept offices of several parties in the city besieged since morning.

A good number of buses alongside CNG-driven auto-rickshaws were seen on the capital streets.

Even then, rickshaws dominated the streets like other hartal days.

Ten mobile courts are also in force in the city to hold summary trials.

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