The opposition alliance called the hartal for Wednesday and Thursday protesting the killing of unarmed Alems (Islamic scholars) in a crackdown on Hefajat-e-Islami sit-in at Shapla Chattar early Monday.
In capital Dhaka, educational institutions remained closed, but government and non-government offices were open, though the attendance was thin.
Vehicular movement on the city streets was relatively less though some BRTC buses and other services were seen plying. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets as the presence of motorised vehicles was much lesser than usual days.
But no long-route coach left Mohakhali and Gabtali bus terminals in the morning.
BNP’s Nayapaltan central office was cordoned off by a huge number of policemen.
Addressing a post-hartal briefing at the central office, BNP chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu said Wednesday’s shutdown was observed across the country with people’s spontaneous participation.
He claimed that police arrested over 107 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours on Wednesday, while more than 211 injured in attacks by law enforcers and ‘ruling party cadres’. “Besides, an activist was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment by a mobile court.”
Police, Rab and BGB members patrolled the city streets to maintain the law and order. Besides, plainclothes police with still and video cameras have been kept on alert at a number of strategic points in the city to identify troublemakers.
Activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the associate student body of BNP, brought out a procession at Khilkhet in support of the hartal at about 7:45 am.
JCD activists also brought out a procession from Tejgaon industrial area around 6am. The activists from the procession blasted three crude bombs.
At about 6:40am, three crude bombs were exploded in Tejgaon Satrasta area from an unspecified direction. Two crude bombs were exploded and a vehicle was damaged by pickets at Sabujbagh at about 7:00am.
At about 6:30 am, Swechchhasebak Dal brought out a procession from Gulshan Link Road and hurled four crude bombs targeting police vehicles.
Hartal activists blasted a crude bomb and burnt some tryes on Mirpur Zoo Road around 7:30am. Later, police doused the blaze and dispersed the pickets.
Around 7:20am, a crude bomb was exploded in front of Gabtali Mosque.
Jubo Dal brought out a procession from Kuril and vandalised two vehicles at about 7:30 am.
JCD activists brought out a procession in support of the hartal in Jagannath University area at about 6:30am and police later dispersed the processionsists. At about 6:10am, police broke up a procession of Shibir activists at Uttar Badda.
At 12:10 pm, JCD activists exploded four crude bombs in front of South Dhaka City Corporation office at Gulshan from its procession.
Bangladesh Chhatra League brought out a procession at 12:30 pm in front of BRAC University at Mohakhali protesting the hartal.
Similar incidents were also reported from different districts.
In Satkhira, a group of activists of Jamaat-Shibir torched a Satkhira-bound bus of ‘Eagle Paribahan’ coming from Dhaka on the Satkhira-Jessore Highway in Madabkati Bazar area of Sadar upazila in the morning. They also vandalised two buses in the area at that time.
In Jamalpur, police detained 10 local activists of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal during picketing in the town in the morning. A group of activists of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal blocked the main road torching tyres at Singhajani School intersection of the town around 7am.
In Brahmanbaria, at least five people, including two policemen, were injured in a clash between police and BNP-Hefajat men in the morning. The hartal supporters also vandalised two CNG-run auto-rickshaws and one pickup.
In Bogra, BNP activists blocked Bagarpara road by burning tyres and vandalised 10-11 vehicles.
In Natore, Jubo Dal and JCD activists blocked Natore-Rajshahi Highway at Borogachha by burning tyres.
Besides, Hefajat-e Islam Bangladesh called a countrywide daylong hartal for Sunday protesting the crackdown on its leaders and activists at Shapla Chattar.