The BCL, student wing of Awami League, called the strike at all educational institutions to protest the arrest of Hasina though enforcement of strike is banned in the state of emergency.

Three crude bombs exploded on the Dhaka University (DU) campus in the morning creating panic among the teachers and students of the university and the children of an adjacent school. The bombing caused no casualties.

Witnesses said the bombs went off with a big bang producing smoke behind the vice chancellor's office at the Registrar Building at around 11:30am.

Police suspected that those who called the strike might have carried out the explosions.

Apart from this, the strike was observed in a lacklustre way at the DU as most of the classes and examinations were held on schedule. However, the presence of the students was comparatively low.

Additional members of the law enforcement agencies were deployed on the campus and at the entrances to the university.

Academic activities of most of the schools and colleges in the capital were normal, sources said.

Our RU correspondent reported that students' presence was very thin and the employees attended the office late.

Classes and examinations were held duly and university buses ran as usual.

The strike was partially observed in Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi Government College, Polytechnic Institute, Rajshahi City College and other major educational institutes of the city.

Meanwhile, our Kushtia correspondent reported that no classes or examinations were held at the Islamic University.

BCL activists barred university buses to ply the Kushtia-Jhenidah road. However, some buses reached the campus under police escort.

BCL men tried to bring out a protest procession but failed, as the police and the Rapid Action Battalion dispersed them.