Most people are staying at home out of fear of violence during the ongoing curfew, but a section of youths are wandering the streets motivated by an altogether different emotion - boundless curiosity.
The countrywide curfew began at midnight on Saturday to curb violent acts and arson attacks on key government establishments, and the people have been urged to stay indoors except in case of emergency. Despite the curfew being in effect, several youths were seen loitering and roaming around on the streets of the capital on Sunday.
When asked why they were outdoors, the youths said they had never seen a curfew before and they wanted to see how the law enforcement agencies and army are handling the situation.
Irfan Asif, a college student, was found walking on a road in the Malibagh area with his friends.
He said: "We are familiar with the word 'curfew', but have never witnessed one. That's why we have come out to see how the curfew is going."
Another youth, a teenager, said: "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the army in action. I haven't seen any kind of violence, but I did see some passing patrols with tanks (armored personnel carriers), so I'm happy."
Although there were few people or vehicles on the main roads, there was a noticeable presence of pedestrians, bicycle riders and motorcyclists in alleys and side roads. Those who were on foot were usually in small groups.
In some areas, people took advantage of the lack of vehicle traffic to set up games of cricket or football.
A young left-arm spinner said: "During the Covid-19 lockdown, I would look at the empty streets and dream of playing cricket with my friends. Dhaka roads are also empty in Eid, but everyone goes to their village home at that time. Since the area seemed safe, the opportunity was too good to pass up now."
The overall situation in Malibagh, Khilgaon, Basabo, Goran and Shahjahanpur was found to be calm on Sunday.