The 36-hour countrywide hartal, called by opposition BNP- led 18-party alliance in response to the denial of bail for seven senior BNP leaders including its acting secretary general, begun for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
In the early hours of the hartal, BNP leaders and activists gathered at the party central office in Nayapaltan.
Stray incidents of arrest, vandalism and crude bomb blasts marked the first day of hartal on Tuesday. Home Ministry sources said BNP-Jamaat activist torched and vandalised 10 vehicles and exploded 68 crude bombs in different parts of the country during the shutdown. At least 30 people were injured in clashes between hartal supporters and ruling party men and police in different distircts. Police arrested 22 people during Tuesday’s hartal hours. Stray incidents of vandalism, arrest, crude bomb blasts were also reported from districts like Natore, Sirajganj, Chuadanga, Chandpur, Tangail and Barahmanbaria.
Traffic movement was normal in the capital and most of shops, business houses and educational institutions remained opened. However, long-distance bus and launch services were severely hampered during the hartal hours.
A significant number of law enforcers, including elite forces, have been deployed to avert the untoward situation during the hartal hours in the city.
A total of 10 mobile vigilance teams were in operation during hartal hours to maintain law-and-order situation in the city, said police source.
