Country brought to a standstill

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Dhaka siege programme by the Awami League (AL) led 14-party combine virtually paralysed the city life yesterday.

The blockade programme that was aimed at preventing the immediate past chief justice KM Hasan from taking charge as the chief adviser to the caretaker government will continue until the chief adviser assumes office, 14-party sources said.

Exchange of bullets between rival political activists, charging of bombs, pelting of brickbats, rallies and processions with sticks and oars and chase and counter chase marked the day while the capital was de-linked from the rest of the country due to the disruption of vehicular movement.

On Friday night, tens of thousands of city dwellers coming back after the Eid holidays suffered miserably as inter-district buses could not enter the city. The situation was similar yesterday too.

The city streets were under the control of agitators who were chanting slogans and parading with sticks and oars. Only a handful of general people and vehicles were seen on the street as a sense of utter insecurity engrossed the city dwellers who eyed an uncertain future. Many important points of the city turned into battlefields.

“You see the appalling situation,” a city dweller said, “My nephew started at 8:00am from Comilla but the bus had to go back from Meghnaghat.”

Commercial establishments and most of the markets were kept closed.

Inter-district buses suspended their service. Schedules of Chittaging-bound trains Mahanagar and Godhuli were changed, while other trains stood still on the halfway. Chittagong-bound train Subarna was pelted with stones and there were rampant vandalism at Tongi, Ashuganj, Ghorasal and Sylhet stations.

Steamers started plying from Badamtoli Ghat but the number of passengers was much less.

Port city Chittagong was paralysed as the 14-party combine put barricades on the main points.

Mills and factories remained closed, only a few vehicles plied, and loading and unloading at the seaport were done in a limited scale.

Earlier Chittagong City Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Choudhury called hartal in the port city from today.

An uneasy calm prevailed in the crowded areas of Mymensingh town. No inter-district bus entered the town as of evening yesterday. Train services were disrupted as AL activists halted Dhaka-bound Ekota Express from North Bengal at Goyeshwar and Jamuna Express at Maheshkhali.

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