Dhaka: The 108-hour nationwide hartal, enforced by the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance alongside its indefinite transport blockade, ended amid arson attacks on vehicles and arrests on Thursday evening, leaving at least 16 people dead.

The hartal also disrupted Secondary School Certificate examinations apart from creating extreme fear and anxiety among the countrymen.

Deaths:

During this period, 12 people were killed in Comilla, Barisal and Jessore on Tuesday, the third day of the shutdown, while two in Bogra on Thursday and the rest two killed in Laxmipur.

In Comilla, eight people were killed and 15 others injured in a petrol bomb attack on a bus in Chouddagram on Tuesday. Seven of them died on the spot while another succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Wednesday.  On the same day, truck driver Nur Hossain Shikder and his assistant Zafar Rari were killed as miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at their vehicle at Sundardi in Gaurnadi of Barisal.  Liton and Yusuf of Manirampur were killed as a truck ran them over while trying to hurl petrol bombs at the vehicle at Begaritala in Manirampur of Jessore.

Besides, a man and a covered van driver who sustained burn injuries in Laxmipur on Sunday and Monday died on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Nur-e-Alam, 40, who suffered burn injuries in a petrol bomb attack on a bus by picketers in the city’s Jatrabari area on January 23 died at the DMCH on the day.

police constable Shamim, 25, who suffered burns in a petrol bomb attack on a police van by miscreants in the capital’s Shahbagh on January 17, died at Square Hospitals in the capital at about 10:00am on Thursday, said Masudur Rahman, DMP deputy commissioner (Media).

Violence:

At least seven vehicles were torched on the second day of hartal in the capital and other parts of the country.

A government primary school was set alight in Pirojpur on Wednesday during the fourth day of the 108-hour nationwide hartal enforced by the Miscreants set fire to two bogies of an express train at Joydebpur Railway Station in Gazipur in the morning while a truck was torched in Natore.

SSC exams disrupted:

Shifted twice, the much-awaited SSC and equivalent examinations will finally begin tomorrow (Friday) amid tension and anxiety among the examinees and their guardians as countrywide blockade called by BNP and its allies is still in force.

Police actions:

Incidents of violence like petrol bomb attack, vehicle torching, crude bomb blast and the arrest of pickets and 20-Party Alliance activists were reported from different parts of the country, including the capital, on Thursday, the last day of the hartal and the 31^st day of the blockade.

Police held over 200 people from different places of the country, including Dhaka, Sylhet, Sirajganj, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Khulna and Chittagong districts.

 ‘Movement to continue’:

Affirming that she is ready to face any consequence, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday reiterated that the ongoing movement of her party-led 20-party alliance will continue until it reaches its desired goal.

The 20-party alliance enforced the 72-hour nationwide hartal from 6:00am on Sunday as part of its movement for restoring democracy and people’s voting right alongside its ongoing countrywide indefinite transport blockade.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Tuesday extended it by 36 hours. In a statement, BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of the alliance, announced the extended shutdown programme.

Earlier on January 5, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia called the indefinite blockade from January 6 as the government did not allow her party and its allies to hold protest rallies in the capital on the day.