24-hr hartal begins amid escalating tension

News - 24-hr hartal begins amid escalating tension
 Tension runs high as a 24-hour hartal and 22-hour rail-road blockade programme began simultaneously across the country on Friday evening to resist Hefazat-e-Islam’s Dhaka long march scheduled for Saturday.
The shutdown enforced by 25 pro-liberation organisations and the blockade by activists of Ganajagaran Mancha began at 6 pm.
Sector Commanders’ Forum, 10 left-leaning parties and several other organisations extended their support to the shutdown.
The pro-liberation organisations called the hartal on Wednesday night, which is meant for pushing their demand for banning Jamaat and Shibir politics.
At a press conference at Dhaka University’s TSC on Thursday, they urged people to make the hartal a success.
Meanwhile, protesters of Shahbagh Ganajagaran Mancha on Thursday announced to enforce a countrywide road and railway blockade programme for 22 hours from 6 pm today to prevent Hefazat-e-Islam’s long march towards Dhaka.
Imran H Sarkar, the spokesperson of the Ganajagaran Mancha, announced the programme at a press conference at Shahbagh intersection.
Hefazat-e-Islam had earlier announced the long march programme towards Dhaka to press home its 13-point demand, including the arrest and trial of bloggers for “defaming” Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
On Thursday, they threatened to enforce a nonstop hartal from Sunday if the 24-hour shutdown called by 25 pro-liberation bodies is not called off by Thursday evening.
They also threatened to close the Dhaka-Chittagong highway for an indefinite period if the government obstructs its scheduled long march towards Dhaka on Saturday.
Source: UNB Connect