A half-day nationwide general strike enforced by the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) in protest against the rising prices of fuel, fertilizers and daily essentials was observed almost peacefully on Thursday.
The strike began around 6am and ended at 12 noon.
Dozens of LDA activists brought out a procession from DU campus, which culminated at Paltan.
Student organisations, backed by left- leaning political parties, were seen observing their pre-announced protest programme at Dhaka University, and an Elephant Road, Banglamotor, Kataban, Nilkhet and New Market areas in support of the half-day strike.
However, three LDA members were allegedly injured after cops charged batons to disperse their protest rally against rising cost of living at Shahbag junction.
“We were marching towards Shahbag intersection from the Banglamotor area peacefully when around 50 policemen, led by assistant deputy commissioner (Ramna zone) Harun-or-Rashid, swooped on us all of a sudden, injuring three of our activists,” said Rajib Kanti, president of the Chhatra Front’s Dhaka University (DU) unit.
The injured LDA activists are currently undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), he added.
Hospitals, hotels, pharmacies and vehicles engaged in providing emergency services were kept out of the purview of the strike.
At a press conference on Wednesday at Mukti Bhaban in the capital, LDA coordinator and CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince called upon the country’s people to observe the strike with their spontaneous presence on the streets and also to mount pressure on the government to stop the process of increasing the prices of electricity and gas.
Stating that people are going through immense sufferings due to the rise in the prices of fuel and commodities, he warned that LDA will announce bigger programmes in the future if the government does not respond to their demands after the general strike.
In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 per cent, 51.7 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively, on August 5.
Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre, pushing up the prices of all essential items.
On August 17, the country’s main opposition BNP extended its support to the LDA’s strike. Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
Source: United News of Bangladesh