Four vehicles, including a Rapid Action Battalion pickup van, were torched in the city by the pickets ahead of a daylong countrywide hartal to be enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance on Wednesday.
At least four crude bombs were also set off while a vehicle was vandalised in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office in the afternoon, our correspondent reported.
Fire brigade sources said a private car was torched in front of Aysha Memorial Hospital at Mohakhali around 1:30pm while a microbus was set ablaze near New Market Police Station around 1:40pm spreading panic across the area.
A pickup van owned by the Rapid Action Battalion was torched by the hartal supporters near Nilkhet petrol pump under Lalbagh Police Station around 1:40pm while a passenger bus was set afire at Arambagh around 12pm, reports UNB.
However, no casualty was reported.
The 18-party opposition alliance on Monday called the nationwide shutdown for Wednesday, demanding withdrawal of all the ‘false’ cases filed against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman.
BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan announced the shutdown call after an hour-long meeting of the opposition alliance at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office with Khaleda Zia in the chair.