Dhaka, Dec 4 The Jamaat-e-Islami-enforced dawn-to-dusk shutdown ended amid reports of sporadic violence across the country.
Although clashes marked the beginning of the shutdown early Tuesday morning, there were fewer reports of violence as the day progressed, and people could be seen moving around in the city normally.
However, vehicular traffic was less than other days.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner in the evening said as many as 69 Jamaat activists were arrested only from Dhaka and about 50 vehicles were vandalised during the hartal hours.
The Islamist party on Monday called the hartal to mount pressure on the government to release its top brass currently standing trial on war crimes charges. Its key ally, the BNP, also extended support to the lockdown call.
The law enforcers had made tight security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident in the capital Dhaka. A large number of police and RAB personnel were patrolling the streets since early morning. Policemen in plain clothes were also deployed.
However, despite all precautions, the Jamaat managed to bring out flash processions in the city's Karwan Bazar, Tejgaon, Jatrabari and Shewrapara areas, and reportedly vandalised several vehicles. They also tried to create panic among the masses by setting tyres ablaze on roads.
At the start of the shutdown, only a small number of buses were seen plying on the usually busy streets. The auto-rickshaws and rickshaws were also fewer in numbers. Commuters were seen stranded and waiting for transports at various intersections.
Our correspondents have reported sporadic incidents of the Jamaat activists clashing with police and smashing vehicles in Rajshahi University, Sylhet's Tuker Bazar, Narayanganj's Siddhirganj and Tongi.
Traffic in Karwan Bazar and Farmgate areas came to an abrupt halt around 6:45am when several youths torched tyres on the street. They ran into narrow lanes pelting stones at police when they were chased.
Officer in Charge of Tejgaon Police Station Omar Faruk told bdnews24.com that the hartal supporters smashed at least four vehicles and tried to set a bus ablaze since morning.
Hartal supporters also brought out a flash procession in support of the shutdown in Jatrabari's Kutubkhali area, and reportedly smashed at least five vehicles and burnt tyres.
Sub-Inspector of the Jatrabari Police Station Emdadul Islam told bdnews24.com that people from the procession set fire to a blanket and put it on the street.
Several vehicles were also reportedly smashed in Kazipara and Shewrapara areas in the morning. Fire Service's control room official Brozen Kumar Sarkar said a bus was torched around 6:30am in Savar.
Although Jammat has cited various reasons for the daylong strike, their prime goal is to mount pressure on the government to release their stalwarts standing war crimes trial.
Top eight Jamaat leaders, including its former chief Ghulam Azam, incumbent chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Executive Council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, and Assistant Secretaries General Abdul Quader Molla and Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, are currently facing trial at the two war crimes tribunals for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the nation's War of Independence in 1971.
Trial in some of the cases has reached the final stage.
Apart from them, two BNP leaders, Salauddin Quader Chowhdhury and Abdul Alim, are facing trial on similar charges.
Other members of the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance also extended support to the Jamaat-e-Islami-called shutdown.
The Jamaat has been demonstrating since the beginning of November demanding release of its top leaders. They have also targeted police in Dhaka and elsewhere.
The motorcade of Law Minister Shafique Ahmed also came under attack in Karwan Bazar recently. Activists of Jamaat's student front, Islami Chhatra Shibir, allegedly set on fire a policeman in Joypurhat.
Over 150 police officials have been reportedly injured in these sporadic but related attacks across Bangladesh. Nearly 3,000 Jamaat-Shibir activists have been detained over these attacks.
The Jamaat activists took out a procession in capital Dhaka's Jatrabari area on Monday, smashed several vehicles and set two buses on fire.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (South Zone) Deputy Commissioner Anowar Hossain told bdnews24.com extra policemen had been deployed near the Jamaat headquarters in Mogbazar and its metropolitan office in Paltan keeping in mind the recent attacks on the law enforcers.
"Reserve forces have been kept ready so that action can be promptly taken in case anything happens," he said.
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