The BNP-led 20-party alliance has called a 72-hour countrywide hartal from Sunday protesting “arrest and killing of its leaders and activists in crossfire.
The announcement of the fresh shutdown came around an hour after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon the alliance not to enforce hartal during the SSC examinations.
In a press statement this evening, BNP Joint Secretary General Salauddin Ahmed said the shutdown will start at 6:00am Sunday and will continue till 6:00am Wednesday.
The hartal also meant to demand release of the alliance’s leaders and activists including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed.
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations, which were due to start on February 2, were deferred twice due to a five-day shutdown by the alliance.
The examinations finally began today with students appearing for the Bangla first paper exam according to the changed schedule.
The Bangla second paper exam will be held tomorrow, while the fate of the English first and second paper examinations scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday are uncertain following the announcement of 72-hour shutdown from Sunday.
Source: The Daily Star
