Cops clash with hartal supporters, 11 picked

Staff Correspondent: Police detained at least eleven persons when police locked into a clash with protesters at Shahbagh intersection in the capital during a hartal enforced protesting the government’s decision of hiking gas prices.

The clash took place around 10:30am on Tuesday.

Activists of different progressive student alliances blockaded Shahbagh intersection and burnt rubber tyres. The protesters also spray painted ‘Hartal’ on private cars trying to pass the intersection.

Later, the law enforcers threw several rounds of teargas shells on hartal supporters and use water cannon to disperse the demonstrators when they hurled brick chips aiming at police.

A procession was also seen to bring out marching from Shahbagh intersection to Matsya Bhaban intersection in the capital in support of today’s half-day hartal.

The leftist political parties -- Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) enforced the strike from 6:00am on Tuesday, which will continue till 12:00pm.

Earlier on February 24, the CPB and BSD leaders in a joint press conference called the strike at CPB’s office in the capital’s Paltan.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on February 23 raised gas prices by 22.7 per cent for all consumers.

Prices of household connections will be increased to Tk 750 for single burner and Tk 800 for double burners from March 1.

At present gas price for single burner is Tk 600 and for double burners Tk 650.

The prices would be increased again on June 1 by another Tk 150 for each gas stove.

risingbd/DHAKA/Feb 28, 2017/Ahmed Nur/Amirul