Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-One day after suffering severe injuries in a hand bomb attack, a van driver succumbed to his injuries in Bangladesh Tuesday morning.
With the victim, the BNP-led 20-party alliance-sponsored non-stop blockade and frequent strike took the lives of at least 50 people in the mindless arson attacks across the country in last 29 days.
The middle-aged van driver died around 4:00am at the burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), hospital sources said.
The man had gotten severe injuries Monday evening on Dhaka-Laxmipur highway when blockade supporters hurled hand bombs at his rice-loaded pick-up van in Laxmipur, a south-eastern district of Bangladesh.
At first, the victim was admitted to Laxmipur Sadar Hospital.
Later, he was shifted to DMCH as his condition deteriorated.
The BNP-led 20-party alliances have been enforcing the blockade coupled with frequent strikes in Bangladesh since January 5 demanding a fresh election.
They also protest the confinement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her party Gulshan office and arrest of party leaders and activists.
Khaleda called the blockade after she was barred from coming out of her Gulshan office.
BNP said its party chief was “confined” but the government denied the allegation though it had put additional law enforcers and sand-laden trucks in front of Khaleda’s office.
The government however removed the security barriers after 16 days on January 19.
Several hundred people including law enforcers were also injured during the blockade and strike.
Hundreds of vehicles were also torched and vandalised in the political agitation.
BBN/AS/AD-3Feb15-11:30am (BST)