A number of people in Rangpur, mostly activists of AL and its front organisations, yesterday called a half-day hartal for today protesting Hasina's arrest.

Different organisations and eminent personalities criticised the arrest of the AL chief and asked the government to release Hasina on bail immediately.

A total of 112 cultural activists yesterday expressed strong resentment over Hasina's arrest in a "suspicious" extortion case.

In a joint statement, they demanded immediate release of Hasina on bail as proper legal procedure was not followed to arrest Hasina.

The personalities include theatre activists Prof Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, Jamaluddin Hossain, Ferdousi Majumder, Raisul Islam Asad, Tarique Anam Khan, Shimul Yusuff, Selim Al Deen, Pijush Bandyopadhyay, Afzal Hossain, filmmakers Morshedul Islam and Tanveer Mokammel, recital artistes Kazi Abu Zafar Siddiqui, Kazi Arif, singers Moloy Kumar Ganguli, Mahbubul Haider Mohon, and cultural activist Panna Kaiser.

Ten other cultural activists residing abroad also sent a joint statement demanding immediate release of Hasina.

Bangladesh Mohila Awami League, Bangabandhu Abritti Parishad, Bangladesh Trade Union Centre, and Bangladesh Awami Ain Chhatra Parishad in a joint statement demanded immediate release of Hasina.

Bangladesh Awami Ain Chhatra Parishad urged the students of all law colleges and law departments of all universities to boycott their classes in protest of Hasina's arrest.

Our Rangpur correspondent reports: Activists of Chhatra League and Jubo League under the banner of Awami League Families and many general people called a half-day hartal in the district for today in protest against Hasina's arrest.

The announcement came from a procession around 4:00pm yesterday. Leaflets with the call of hartal were distributed among the people from the procession.