This photo taken on November 15, 2023 shows leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student organisation of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, bring out a procession in Farmgare area in Dhaka supporting the opposition-enforced countrywide blockade. – Collected photo.

The fifth spell of the countrywide blockades for 48 hours enforced by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and allies as part of the ongoing one-point movement passed the first day on Wednesday amid intensified police raids and arrests of the opposition activists and clashes.

BNP activists locked in clashes with the ruling Awami League activists and the police in areas including Bogura’s Sherpur upazila on Wednesday that left around 40 people injured.

Following the announcement of the national election schedule, the opposition activists brought out protest processions in the evening in Sylhet, iterating the demand for the resignation of the AL government, dissolving the parliament and holding the next general elections under a non-party government and locked in clash with the police.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the police have increased raids and arrests of its leaders and activists with over 12,000 arrested across the country in last three weeks.

Processions across the country including the capital, picketing on the highways, long-route buses staying off the roads and arson attacks on vehicles marked the first day of the fifth round of blockade.

Public transports and passengers visibly increased on Wednesday on the streets of the capital compared to the previous four spells of the blockade.

Road communication between Dhaka and rest of the country nearly snapped with vehicles rarely moved on the highways, like the previous four spells of the blockade.

Almost all the buses stayed off the streets at the Gabtali, Sayedabad and Moakhal bus terminals due to lack of passengers and fear of arson attacks.

The ticket counters of most of the bus companies were found to be closed, while a few open counters saw nearly no sale of tickets.

A few buses left for neighbouring districts from these terminals with few passengers.

In the capital, the BNP brought out processions at different spots including Shahbagh, Farmgate, Mirpur and Shanir Akhra supporting the blockade.

Opposition parties and alliances, including the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganatantra Mancha, Liberal Democratic Party, 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote, Democratic Left Unity, Gono Odhikar Parishad and AB Party, also held processions and rallies.

Hours before the blockade, unidentified people set fire to four buses in three separate places in Mirpur in the capital, torched a private car in Dhanmondi, while a covered van in Natore was set on fire on Wednesday, according to the fire service officials.

At least 214 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed across the country on Wednesday.

The BNP has announced a series of general strikes and blockades since their October 28 grand rally was foiled.

In Bogura, over 30 people, including five police officials, were injured during a clash between the supporters of the BNP and Awami League on the Bogura-Dhaka highway in Sherpur upazila on Wednesday morning.

The clash happened about 11:30am in Khejurtala area when a procession of BNP activists confronted another procession of the Awami League, said Sherpur police officer-in-charge Babu Kumar Shaha.

Police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the activists when five police members also sustained injuries as brick chips were hurled at them.

Meanwhile, police raids have intensified across the country.

In a virtual press conference, BNP leader Rizvi said that police raids on residences and businesses owned by BNP people or families and harassment and arrest of the family members of the BNP leaders and activists continued in districts.

Briefing journalists, DMP joint commissioner for operations Biplob Kumar Sarker said that they have been continuing raids and arrests of the accused and suspects involved in violence, arson attacks and vandalism since October 28.

The police officer said that they caught at least 14 people red-handed in the capital, while they were setting fire on vehicles during the blockade.

All the arrested arsonists are involved with BNP politics, the officer claimed.

He said that the police have beefed up security measures in the capital including deploying more forces in front of the Election Commission.

DMP data available by Wednesday show that the number of cases against the BNP leaders and activists in connection with violence since October 28 reached 153 in the capital with several thousand people named in these cases along with another several thousand unnamed people.

The DMP arrested 2,818 BNP activists in over three weeks from October 21 until Wednesday morning in violence cases.

The RAB headquarters on Wednesday evening stated that they had arrested 31 people in different districts in last 24 hours in connection with attacks and ‘sabotages’, taking the force’s arrest figure to 457 since October 28.

BNP leader Rizvi said that they had another 345 leaders and activists arrested in the past 24 hours until Wednesday evening.

With the fresh arrests, at least 12,015 leaders and activists of the party have been held in last three weeks with over 269 cases filed, according to the BNP.

Meanwhile, police deployment retuned in front of BNP’s Naya Paltan central office on Wednesday, a day after the force was withdrawn from in front of the office.

Police teams were found deployed in front of the office on Wednesday afternoon with five people were also detained from there.

Policemen deployed there said that five people were detained as they brought out a procession under the banner of Bangladesh Janata Party in the morning.

Paltan police officer-in-charge Salauddin Mia said that they were detained on charges of violence attempts.

He also said that nearly half an hour after the announcement of the schedule, unidentified persons exploded four crude bombs at the Nightingale intersection, close to the BNP office, and fled the scene on a motorbike.

New Age correspondent in Sylhet reported that three BNP activists were arrested in the city on Wednesday evening during holding a torch procession.

Sylhet Kotwali police officer-in-charge Mohammad Ali Mahmud told New Age that the police fired blank shots.