The daylong nationwide shutdown, called by the BNP-led 18-party alliance demanding the restoration of caretaker government system, release of its arrested leaders and activists and withdrawal of the ban on meetings and processions, began at 6am today (Sunday).
Sources at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said additional 8,000 police have been deployed in the capital to avert any untoward incident and ensure the security of people during the hartal hours.
Besides, plainclothes police are on alert with video and still cameras at different strategic points of the city to identify troublemakers. Members of elite force Rab are also guarding the city streets.
Addressing a pre-hartal press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Saturday afternoon, opposition spokesperson Shamsuzzaman Dudu said, “BNP knows how to force the government to accept its demand. If needed, we’ll go for self-imprisonment to realise our demand (CG).”
He alleged that police started arresting the opposition leaders and activists across the country well before the shutdown started.
Dudu, also BNP Chairperson’s adviser, announced the shutdown programme at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Friday.
Ahead of the shutdown, hartal supporters torched a bus near Khamarbari at Farmgate in the capital around 5:50 pm on Saturday.
However, there was no report of any casualty in the arson attack.
Source: UNBConnect
