Photo : Messenger
A countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by BNP protesting attack on its grand rally at Nayapaltan in the capital got underway on Sunday (29 October).
The opposition party is protesting the police action that foiled its grand rally on Saturday. The rally was organised to demand that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina steps down to allow a non-partisan caretaker administration to hold the upcoming national election due in next January.
Jamaat-e-Islami party also announced a hartal for Sunday, first workday of the week, to protest what it said police action on its rally at Shapla Chottar, Motijheel on Saturday.
Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) joined police and RAB to patrol the capital city during the shutdown. A Shikar Paribahan bus was set on fire at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque this morning in first hours of the protest.
Fire Service Control Room duty officer Ershad Hossain said that the incident happened around 8.05 am today. Receiving the information, the fire service personnel rushed to spot immediately and doused the fire, he added.
A small number of buses, private cars were seen plying the streets in the city. Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan confirmed that rail communication at Kamalapur Railway Station is being operated normally.
Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami brought out a procession in the city's Madartek area around 8am today in support of the hartal.
Launch operation at Sadarghat terminal was seen as normal but there were few passengers.
Messenger/Disha
