The whole-day nationwide strike called by the radical group Hifazat-e Islam began early on Monday amidst tight security arrangements.
The Hifazat has called for the strike to protest against alleged obstruction it says were created by the government during its Chittagong-Dhaka long march at the weekend.
Police were seen deployed at key points of the capital. At the beginning of the shutdown on Monday, Hifazat supporters were seen demonstrating in the city’s Mohammadpur Bus Stand and Lalbagh mosque.
Police said they also brought out processions in the city’s Bosial, Mirpur, Sayedabad and Paltan.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Asaduzzaman of the Motijheel zone told bdnews24.com no untoward incident was reported so far in the first couple of hours of the strike.
Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws were out in good numbers and number of public transport was higher.
Long distance buses have remained grounded in the first hours of the shutdown but rail and launch services remained unaffected, officials said.
Widely believed to be backed by the Jamaat-e-Islam, the Hifazat-e-Islam’s Secretary General Zunaid Babu Nogri called for the shutdown on Saturday from its rally.
The little known group has also threatened to lay siege to Dhaka on May 5 if their demands are not fulfilled.
Punishing ‘atheist’ bloggers, banning public mixing of sexes, canceling women’s Act, and bringing down sculptures from public places are some of the demands the group has placed.
Shahbagh’s Ganajagaran Mancha has announced flag processions across Bangladesh on Monday to counter the Hifazat strike.