Reports on protests and condemnations were pouring in The Daily Star Office in Dhaka from different districts till late night yesterday.

Our Staff Correspondent in Khulna reports: Khulna district and city units of Awami League held a rally yesterday evening in front of the party office to protest the incidents.

With city AL president and lawmaker Talukder Abdul Khaleque in the chair, speakers at the rally strongly condemned the bomb attacks across the country that created panic among the people.

They accused anti-liberation forces for this, saying it is a conspiracy against pro-liberation forces.

They demanded resignation of the government for its failure to ensure security of people's life and property. They called upon the people to resist the "rise of fundamentalists" in the country. They should be resisted in the interest of democracy.

The rally was addressed by, among others, city AL Secretary Mizanur Rahman, former Whip Mostafa Rashidi Shujua, district AL President Shaikh Harun-or-Rashid and former lawmaker Begum Mannujan Sufian.

BNP lawmakers Ali Asgar Lobi and M Nurul Islam, Whip Ashraf Hossain, Khulna city Mayor Shaikh Tayebur Rahman, former Speaker Shaikh RazzakAli, Khulna district BNP president Prof Majidul Islam and Khulna city BNP Secretary Nazrul Islam Manju in a statement strongly condemned the "planned bomb attacks designed to create panic among people and lawlessness in the country".

The BNP leaders demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.

Khulna unit of Sammilito Ainjibi Parishad observed a token hunger strike to protest the bomb attacks.

It also held a rally. Presided over by Khulna Sammilito Ainjibi Parisahd President Md. Abdul Halim, it was addressed by, among others, Kazi Abdus Salam, Kazi Badsha Man and Mina Mizanur Rahman.

Khulna city unit of Jamaat-e-Islami in a statement said the bomb attacks across the country as part of a "deep-rooted conspiracy to destabilise the democratic government and create a law and order situation".

Leaders and activists of Jamaat later brought out a procession, followed by a rally where they called upon the people to stand united against "conspirators".

It is a well planned sabotage to tarnish image of the government of four-party alliance, they said.

The rally was presided over by city Ameer of Jamaat and lawmaker Mian Golam Parwar and addressed by, among others, its Nayeb-e-Amir Prof Abdul Matin, Shafiqul Alam and Moulana Abul Kalam Azad.

Khulna district and city units of Bangladesh Chhatra Union accused "fundamentalists" for the bomb attacks. It is a design to disgrace all pro-liberation forces, they said and called upon the people to forge greater unity against "anti-liberation forces responsible for today's series of bomb attacks".

A Correspondent reports from Sirajganj: Sirajganj district units of BNP, Awami League and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal brought out separate processions protesting bomb blasts in the town and elsewhere in the country.

At a rally held at Nazmul Chattar, AL leaders blamed the BNP-led alliance government for sheltering religious extremists, "who are responsible for the blasts".

AL leaders Abu Eusuf Surza, Abdul Latif Mirza, Altaf Hossain, Mostafa Kamal Khan and others spoken at the rally.

On the other hand, BNP leaders at a separate rally blamed AL for the bomb blasts, saying it was done to portray Bangladesh abroad as "country of fundamentalists" and to disgrace the government.

Our Correspondent reports from Mymensingh: Different political parties including the 14-party alliance led by Awami League (AL), BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami brought out separate processions and held rallies in the town protesting the bomb blasts.

The 14-party alliance held a rally at Krishnachura Square with district AL president Motiur Rahman in the chair. It was addressed by, among others, Abdul Matin Sarker MP, Nazrul Islam and Sadek Hossain of JSD and Ziauddin Ahmed of NAP.

They held the BNP-led government responsible for patronising anti-liberation forces "who are behind all acts of violence in the country". They demanded resignation of the government.

BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami at another blamed "anti-people and anti-state forces" for the blasts.

It was addressed by, among others, BNP district secretary Manjurul Haque Manju and district Amir of Jamaat Prof Jasim Uddin.