The blockade cut off the capital from the rest of the country.

Military vehicles mounted with automatic weapons patrolled the streets of the capital yesterday. The army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members were seen guarding different strategic points in the city.

Several hundred army personnel were drawn together in Adabor after the area witnessed the worst clash of the day between grand alliance activists and police leaving around 50 injured.

Besides, clashes and chases took place between the blockaders and police at Maghbazar, Russel Square, Matshya Bhaban crossing, Zero point, Tanti Bazar, Lalbagh, and Badda.

Police arrested 106 activists of the grand alliance in the city.

Pickets set fire to a private car and two buses, and damaged dozens of vehicles at different places in the city. Presence of motorised vehicles including buses was thin on the city streets.

Around 100 leaders of both AL-led grand alliance and BNP-led four-party alliance were injured in sporadic clashes in different places outside the capital as well.

Inter-district road communications were snapped as no inter-district bus operated. Rail communications were also halted at various stations in Dhaka, Pakshi, Lalmonirhat, and Daulatpur.

Activities at the country's premier seaport were also hampered due to the blockade. Loading and unloading took place partially but delivery of cargoes remained suspended.

ADABOR
Around 50 people including policemen and journalists were injured during a four-hour clash that turned Baitul Aman Housing Society, PC Culture and Adabor areas in the capital into a big battle filed.

The fighting erupted after police had charged batons and dispersed several hundred AL leaders and activists when they gathered in front of the house of a local AL leader and ward commissioner Abul Hashem Hashu on Road No 10 in Baitul Aman Housing Society around 10:00am.

Following the police action, several hundred blockaders rained brickbats on the policemen. As time passed, more people joined the demonstrators and pelted police with some more brickbats. No high level police official was found in the troubled area at the time.

Two policemen suffered serious injuries and took shelter in the local Ansar camp and came out disguised as civilians. The pickets raided two houses in the area in search of the injured policemen and damaged the houses.

Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at the demonstrators several hundred times. They also fired from shotguns adding fuel to the anger of the demonstrators.

By 12:30pm, the stone throwing blockaders made the policemen retreat more than a kilometre away from the Baitul Aman Housing Society to Ring Road near Adabor police station despite continuing reinforcement and supply of teargas and rubber bullets. Police were even seen taking tear gas canisters and shotgun bullets from the army.

The demonstrators went in a massive offensive against the policemen around 1:00pm and almost captured Adabor police station when a small group of army personnel who went in front of the police station at 12:45pm took position and pointed their firearms towards the blockaders.

The crowd however left the area soon and police regrouped again. Half an hour later several hundred army men with automatic assault weapons rushed to the area and took position in rows on Ring Road in front of Adabor police station.

Soon after the army reinforcement, the policemen entered the lanes which were littered with brickbats. At that time police allegedly beat several innocent people and arrested them.

The injured in the clashes include The Daily Star photographer Showkat Jamil, Officer-in-Charge of Adabor Police Station Nasiruddin, Police Constable Anjan and Nayek Habib.

Police arrested 28 people from the spot during the clashes.

RUSSEL SQUARE
Police in Dhanmondi area, especially from Russel Square to Road No 27, sent out ominous signals to grand alliance activists with an aggressive posture since the morning.

Police charged and dispersed an AL procession, led by former home minister Mohammad Nasim, on its way to Russel Square from Road No 27 around 11:00am.

After the procession regrouped under Nasim's leadership around Russel Square, police baton charged the group slightly injuring Nasim and Sohel Taj.

Police also arrested 11 AL activists from a Nasim-led rally in Russel Square, five from in front of Metro Shopping Mall, and a Jubo Mohila League activist from Dhanmondi Road No 11.

Quickly after the arrests, scattered AL activists hurled brickbats at riot police from adjoining alleyways. Police and blockaders were then got locked in small pitched battles in the area with no report of serious injury.

Afterwards, police indiscriminately arrested 25 to 30 people off the streets, including street vendors, security guards, rickshaw-pullers, and bystanders.

Till 3:00pm, police maintained a tight grip on the area, not allowing gatherings of more than five people.

MAGHBAZAR
The police clubbed an LDP procession at Maghbazar crossing leading to a clash between the police and the LDP activists that left at least 50 LDP supporters including its Secretary General Abdul Mannan injured.

As the police swooped on the LDP activists, they also retaliated by throwing bricks at the police, sources said.

At one stage of the half an hour clash, the police fired tear gas while the agitating LDP activists set fire to a private car. They also vandalised the Maghbazar branch of Dhaka Bank.

According to the police, they charged batons on the procession after the LDP activists started pelting them with bricks. The police arrested 10 persons from the spot.

The LDP leaders alleged the BNP cadres also attacked them along with the police.

BANGABANDHU AVENUE
A number of police, BDR and army personnel cordoned off the Bangabandhu Avenue to Paltan crossing area to prevent the grand alliance's activists from attending processions.

The atmosphere of this area was quite festive as artistes were performing satirical songs.

Bangladesh Jubo League held a rally at Muktangan, Bangladesh Swechchhasebok League at Zero Point and Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL) at the mouth of Bangabandhu Avenue.

TONGI
The pickets ransacked six vehicles at Tongi on the Dhaka-Gazipur highway and set fire to a CNG-run three-wheeler at around 10:54 am.

The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) men then clubbed the pickets away from the highway and arrested at least three.

MOHAKHALI
Some unknown men set a bus on fire at Mohakhali at 6:30 am, police sources said.

MIRPUR
The police clubbed an AL procession at Mirpur Section-10 roundabout in the morning leading to the demonstrators hurling bricks on the policemen.

The demonstrators vandalised a taxicab and two CNG-run three-wheelers.

Police arrested nine persons from the spot.

Army men arrested a person from Mazar Road area and dispersed demonstrators as they were damaging the moving vehicles.

The demonstrators also ransacked five buses near Mirpur Section-1.

Our DU correspondent reported at least four BCL activists were injured when police charged batons on a procession of Chhatra Sangram Parishad (CSP) in front of the High Court. Police also arrested nine BCL workers.

COUNTRY
Our correspondent from Satkhira reports at least 50 leaders and activists of the AL-led grand alliance and BNP were injured in sporadic clashes between the two archrivals at Patkelghata bazar in Tala Upazila during the blockade.

The injured -- 15 of AL and 35 of BNP -- were admitted to Satkhira Sadar Hospital and other local clinics. Hospital sources said the condition of BNP leader Abdur Rahman was critical.

Two BNP offices and 4 shops belonging to the BNP leaders were vandalised during the clash. BNP blamed the grand alliance men for the vandalism. The grand alliance leaders protesting BNP attacks called a half-day hartal at Patkelghata for today.

Reports from Keraniganj say that around 35 people were injured when police and BDR charged batons on the activists of AL-led grand alliance at Kadamtali crossing in south Keraniganj thana yesterday morning.

Witnesses said the police and BDR charged batons on the grand alliance activists at around 11:00am when they were demonstrating peacefully sitting on the highway at the south side of the 2nd Buriganga Bridge. Among the injured, eight were admitted to a local clinic.

At Sanarparh of Siddhirganj in Narayanganj, at least 20 leaders and activists of grand alliance were injured as they locked in clashes with the police at noon yesterday for about half an hour at Sanarparh of Siddhirganj.

The army was later called in to bring the situation under control.

Our staff correspondent from Chittagong reports, the countrywide blockade snapped the rail and road links between the port city and the rest of the country as well as impeding regular activities of the country's prime seaport.

Our Nilphamari correspondent reports, rival activists of the AL-led grand alliance and the BNP-led 4-party alliance locked in clashes leaving at least five people injured at Dimla upazila.

The clash ensued as the blockade supporters tore up election campaigning posters of a BNP candidate Shahrin Islam of Nilphamari 2 constituency.

Blockade supporters obstructed the Rajshahi-bound Barendra Express at Saidpur Station in the morning while motorised vehicles did not ply the streets.

Our Rangpur correspondent said the grand alliance activists allegedly damaged at least 30 buses and trucks at Paglapir and Modern point in Rangpur on the first day of the blockade.

Witnesses said police rush to the scene and brought the situation under control after half an hour.

Activities at the Hili land port came to a standstill due to the blockade, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.

Our staff correspondent from Khulna reports, a group of picketers attacked Khulna-bound passenger train Shimanta Express at around 8:30am at Daulatpur. An unidentified woman was injured and three compartments of the train was damaged in the attack.

The train reached Khulna half an hour late under police security.

Our Barisal correspondent reports, hundreds of Dhaka-bound passengers remained stranded at all terminals as inter-district transports were cancelled due to the blockade.