ARMY WITHDRAWN TO BARRACKS -EAST WING
PROTEST CONTINUES-FIRING IN TONGI, RAJSHAHI
Announcement by Martial Law Authorities on
The Martial Law authorities have decided to withdraw
the army to the barracks today. According to an announcement the action follows
"No incident of lawlessness since the lifting of curfew on Thursday
evening".
The announcement further said, "Following
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's appeal for peace, there has been considerable
improvement in the general law and order situation during the past 24
hours".
It may be recalled that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in
his speech at the public meeting at Paltan Maidan on Wednesday, had demanded
immediate withdrawal of forces from the city and transfer of power to the
people's representatives. Since then leaders, political parties and other
organisations have been demanding the withdrawal of troops.
Meanwhile, complete hartal was observed here as well
as other parts of the province today, in response to the call of Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman. Today was the fourth day of the hartal in the capital, and its suburbs
and the third day in the province. The Awami League Chief has already announced
that the hartal Ntiill continue till tomorrow.
Today, however, banks and other offices functioned
for two hours in the afternoon for the disbursement of salaries to employees.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had directed yesterday that banks and offices could
function today from 2-30 p.m. to 4-30 p.m. for this purpose. He had also
exempted certain other institutions and certain types of vehicles from the
operation of the hartal.
Tongi firing
The known death toll of Tongi firing this morning
rose with the death of two more persons in the
Earlier, one dead and 15 injured were brought to
Rajshahi firing
In Rajshahi one person was killed and four injured
in firing during a procession here on Wednesday.
A spokesman of tke district administration told PPI
this afternoon that trouble took place twice in front of the telephone exchange
office at Malopara and once in front of the
He said that after the incident curfew was clamped
in the town from seven in the evening for 11 hours on Wednesday by the local
Martial Law authorities. With a break of three hours, he said, curfew was
reimposed from ten in the morning of yesterday to seven in the morning of
today.
According to reports reaching here today, complete
and peaceful hartal is being observed here since March 3 in response to the
call given by the Awami League Chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Curfew
A ten-hour curfew was imposed in Rangpur town from
this evening. According to reports reaching here, the 21-hour curfew which was
clamped there from 5 p.m. yesterday was earlier lifted at 11 a.m. this morning.
A ten-hour curfew was also clamped in Rajshahi
beginning from
Hartal
An eight hour hartal was observed in the city and
other parts of Bangla Desh today in response to the call of Awami League Chief
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, protesting against the sudden postponement of the
National Assembly session.
The hartal which was complete and peaceful in
The eight-hour hartal beginning at
All Government and non-Government offices,
autonomous organisations, mills and factories, banks, insurance companies,
educational institutions, courts and other establishments remained completely
closed during the hartal in the city. All means of transport except a few
doctors' cars, Press cars, peace committee cars and ambulances, remained off
the roads. Train, steamer, launch and internal plane services also remained
suspended during the hartai.
The Awami League has directed the batiks to make
payments in respect of cheques drawn for the purpose of disbursement of salaries
even if the amount exceeded Rs. 1,500 provided that the wage register showing
the total amount to be drawn as salaries was produced along with the cheque.
According to a Press release of the party, the banks
have also been allowed to pay the bill if it was certified by the trade union
of the organisation concerned.
According to an earlier directive, the banks had
been prohibited from making payment in respect of cheques drawing more than
Rs. 1,500.
Food godowns have also been' permitted to remain open
beyond 4-30 p.rn. if necessary to complete delivery.
The remarkable feature of today's hartal was that
many medicine shops remained open during the hartal period and many Government
and non-Government offices functioned for about two hours in the afternoon for
disbursing salaries to the employees.
The State Bank and other scheduled banks here also
worked for two hours in the afternoon for the purpose of drawing salaries and
extending facilities to the ration shop dealers.
Banks work
Ration shops and other food suppliers utilised the
banking hours between 2-30 p.m. and 4-30 p.m.
The relaxation after the eight hour general hartal
was made on the directive of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for facilitating the people
to draw their salaries and arrange regular food supply.
Unprecedented rush was witnessed in all scheduled
banks here long before the opening at 2-30 p.m. People remained in queue for
long time to get a chance to withdraw money, mainly salaries.
When a PPI correspondent visited the State Bank here
at Motijheel at 4-30 p.m. (the closing time), several hundred people were there
in queue for utilising the banking hours. Ration shop dealers and food
suppliers mainly crowded the counters at State Bank.
Mr. S. E. Kabir, Director of the Central Board of Directors,
was found busy with other officials near the counters in supervising the
transactions.
It may be mentioned here that the State Bank has
created a new record by transacting cash in the afternoon.
Meetings
A large number of meetings were held and processions
brought out in
After
The Students' League and the Awami League brought
out a bamboo procession from the Baitul Mukarram and paraded the city streets.
They also held a meeting before the Baitul Mukarram.
The students of East Pakistan University of
Engineering held a meeting at the University premises to protest against the
postponement and "the killings of unarmed civilians". They also
paraded the streets in processions.
The Students League, Students Union (Motia group)
and Bangla Chatra League have offered prayers for the salvation of the departed
souls. They also endorsed the view for the continuation of the struggle for
achieving the legitimate rights of the people.
Shops in some of the shopping centres including
The Pakistan Writers Guild also held a meeting and
expressed concern over the postponement of the National Assembly session. They
also brougnt out a procession and paraded the city street.
The Khilgoan Land Distribution Committee also
organised a rally in the evening before Baitul Mukarram.
House wives, girl students and tcachers of
Narayanganj city also held a protest meeting and paraded the streets shouting
the demand for immediate withdrawal of Martial Law from the country. They
expressed solidarity with the movement launched by the people in response to
the call of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The East Pakistan Government College Teachers'
Association also expressed its strong resentment at the postponement of the
Assembly session. In a meeting held here today, the Association said that this
would hinder the peaceful transfer of power. They also condemned the killing of
unarmed people of Bangla Desh. The meeting also pledged support to the Awami
League chief.
According to Jatiyo Sramik League, quite a' few
factories and mills went into production following a decision of the League.
The members of East Pakistan Union of Journalists
(EPUJ) will stage a demonstration tomorrow afternoon to demonstrate solidarity
with the people's movement and in protest against recent restriction imposed on
the Press.
The General Secretary of EPUJ. Mr. Kamal Lohani,
today appealed to the members to assemble at the Press Club at 3 p.m. from
where a procession will be taken out. The procession will be followed by a mass
rally at Baitul Mokarram.
(THE DAWN,
Karachi-March 6, 1971)
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