Stray incidents of violence and detention of pickets marked the first day of a second spell of shutdown in districts across the country yesterday.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance called a two-day countrywide general strike for the government's “failure to return” missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali within the opposition-set deadline.
Law enforcers arrested at least 128 people from different districts on charges of picketing and vandalising vehicles during hartal hours, report our correspondents.
Tangail: Police picked up seven opposition activists from Registry Para in the town while they were picketing there in the morning. Four of them were later produced before a mobile court that sent them to jail.
They are Mohammad Shah Alam, president of the district unit of Tanti Dal, Nahid Nur Masud, vice-president of the town unit of Swechchasebak Dal and JCD activists Shohel Rana and Selim Miah.
Narayanganj: At least five people, including BNP district unit President Taimur Alam, were injured in police action in DIT area in the town.
Police charged batons on the opposition activists as they were holding a rally in front of their party office during hartal hours. Law enforcers also arrested two pickets, including a local Mahila Dal leader, from the spot.
Rajshahi: Police foiled a pro-hartal procession in the city. BNP district unit President Nadim Mostafa claimed that at least 10 people were injured during chase and counter-chase between police and pickets.
Chittagong: Hartal in the port city was by and large peaceful. No untoward incident occurred and activities at the port were normal.
BNP city unit held a rally in front of the party office at Kazir Dewri. Despite downpour, several hundred BNP activists joined the rally that was addressed, among others, by Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, president of the city BNP, and former state minister Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin.
Barisal: Picketers vandalised a number of vehicles at different places in the city. They put up barricades and burned tyres on the roads in the morning. Later, police removed the barricades
According to sources in Barisal Divisional Range and Metropolitan police, at least 37 pickets were arrested in six districts of the division during yesterday's hartal.
Natore: Pro-hartal activists torched a passenger bus in front of the Chakrampur Cinema Hall at the district headquarters.
Police chased some pickets while they were trying to block traffic by setting fire to tyres on the road in Barogachha area of the town.
Pabna: At least 13 activists of BNP and Jamaat were arrested in the district. No pro-hartal procession was brought out in the town.
Dinajpur: Police picked up at least 40 pickets from different areas of the district during hartal hours.
Police said they arrested 22 pro-hartal supporters from the town and the remaining 18 from different upazila headquarters.
Munshiganj: A procession led by municipal Mayor AKM Ibadat Manu was brought in the town during hartal. Police picked up two pickets in the morning. Ferry services on all the river routes remained normal but buses were off the roads.
Netrakona: Police arrested 15 JCD and Juba Dal activists from different upazilas of the district on Saturday night. Hartal passed off peacefully in the district town.
Benapole: Export-import through the land port was normal during hartal yesterday.
Customs office, banks, government offices and the educational institutions in the port area remained open.
Khulna: Two cops and five hartal supporters were injured in a clash in front of Liberty Cinema Hall in the city, reports UNB.
Police detained three BNP leaders from Khalishpur area and two others from Fulbari Gate at around 8:30am.
Pro-hartal activists blasted a bomb behind Sundarban College in the city at about 10:15am. They also damaged two easy-bikes in Rupsha area.
Pro-hartal processions were brought out from Aliya Madrasa, Sundarban College and Khalishpur areas of the city.