Roads barricaded in Rangunia, two trucks set on fire

Miscreants set fire to two trucks in the Rangunia area of Chattogram around 4am on Wednesday. 

The incident took place in the Chandraghona-Lichubagan Chowdhury Gotta area of the upazila's Chandraghna-Kadamtali union on the second day of the three-day nationwide blockade enforced by the BNP.

During the siege, miscreants cut down trees and threw barricades on the road. 

They set fire to two empty trucks that were stuck. 

Kamruzzaman Sumon, officer of the Rangunia station of the fire service, told The Business Standard, that after receiving the information, the fire service personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire. Later the trees were removed from the road. Traffic normalised in about two hours.

Officer-in-Charge of Rangunia police station Chandan Kumar Chakraborty said, "No one was found on the spot in the incident. Preparations are underway to file a case at the police station."

Meanwhile, on the second day of the siege on Wednesday morning, a bus was set on fire in the Vellapara Bridge area of Karnaphuli police station in Chattogram city.

The Chittagong Metropolitan Road Transport Owners Group said miscreants burnt two vehicles in Kalurghat C&B and Old Chandgaon Thana area of Chattogram city on Tuesday night.

Earlier, some people set fire to three buses in three separate incidents on Monday night and Tuesday morning during the three-day blockade called by BNP and Jamaat. 

Three buses were set on fire at Saltgula crossing area of Chittagong Nagir EPZ police station, Tannery Battal of Bayezid Bostami police station and Garibullah Shah Mazar area. However, there were no casualties in these incidents, according to the fire service and the concerned police station.

On 28 October, both the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami called rallies in the capital which were marred by violence. 

Many vehicles were torched and two people were left dead, including a police constable. 

There was also an attack on the residence of the chief justice, aside from vandalism at a police hospital.

The rallies – called to push home both the parties' demands of ensuring a polls' time government – took a violent turn soon after it began. 

Clashes with AL partymen and police took place in different areas of the capital. 

Midway into BNP's rally, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir suspended the programme and declared a hartal the next day, alleging a police crackdown at their event. 

Fakhrul was arrested the next day over the attacks on police the day earlier, alongside hundreds of BNP activists.

The arrest was met by BNP's announcement of a three-day blockade, starting 31 October. 

The next day, Jamaat-e-Islami also announced an identical blockage programme.

On Tuesday, BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas and Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal were both arrested over the charges of killing a police constable and carrying out atrocities in the city during the BNP's grand rally on Saturday.