14-party Observes 'Electricity Day'
Opposition lays siege to power offices
150 hurt in BNP-AL clash in Sirajganj
Staff Correspondent
Some 150 people were injured in a clash between BNP and Awami League activists in Sirajganj yesterday as the AL-led 14-party opposition combine observed "Electricity Day" across the country demanding uninterrupted power supply.The opposition combine also laid siege to electricity offices in district and upazila headquarters and staged demonstrations in the capital. During the programme, the opposition leaders demanded immediate solution to the power and fuel crises. They also protested the skyrocketing price of essential commodities. The opposition activists besieged the electricity offices in Khulna, Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Sirajganj and other parts of the country. In Sirajganj, a violent clash between the ruling BNP and opposition Awami League activists after the 14-party's power office siege programme left about 150 people, including eight policemen and 10 journalists, injured. District AL President Abdul Latif Mirza, General Secretary Hasan Ali, journalists G Mostafa of The Daily Star, Abdul Kuddus of the daily Sangbad, Jakirul Islam of the Ajker Kagoj, Selim Reza of the New Nation and Fazal-e-Khoda of the Ittefaq are among the injured, reports our Sirajganj correspondent. The injured were admitted to Sirajganj Sadar Hospital, Bogra Mohammad Ali Hospital and different private clinics in Sirajganj and Bogra. The clash erupted at about 10.00am near Chowrasta intersection in the district town when police and the BNP activists intercepted an AL procession heading towards local electricity office. Both the groups equipped with firearms and lethal weapons fought on the streets for about four hours. Angry protesters attacked a nearby police outpost, ransacked the local Press Club and damaged at least 20 houses and 15 shops during the clash. Police charged batons, lobbed more than 30 teargas shells and fired 20 rounds of rubber bullet to disperse them. In the capital, the opposition combine staged demonstration and brought out a procession. Addressing the rally, the opposition leaders accused that the BNP-Jamaat alliance government could not add a megawatt of electricity to the national grid due to corruption and mismanagement. The opposition line-up laid siege to the electricity supply office in Khulna city from 11:00am to 11:30am yesterday, reports our staff correspondent in Khulna. The half-an-hour siege was followed by a rally. The opposition activists also laid siege to the Narayanganj and Kishoreganj electricity supply offices protesting power shortage, report our correspondents.
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