BNP observes subdued hartal

The dawn-to-dusk hartal enforced yesterday by BNP in Dhaka city, protesting “widespread irregularities” in the city corporation elections, ended peacefully with little impact on public life.

BNP activists and supporters were largely absent on the streets.

Traffic was light in the morning but became heavier later.

Intercity buses left and entered the capital ignoring the hartal.

Law enforcers set up checkpoints at city entrances and  checked vehicles, mostly motorcycles.

However, almost all educational institutions remained closed.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called for the shutdown Saturday evening and Jatiya Oikyafront extended its support to the hartal.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association kept its vehicles in service since morning.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi along with some party leaders and activists were in front of their Nayapaltan central office since early morning. Fakhrul joined them around 9:30am.

They brought out a procession and burnt a symbolic electronic voting machine there.

Later, they chanted slogans in front of their office. BNP’s Dhaka south mayor candidate Ishraque Hossain went to the office around 11:00am and joined the protest.

In a brief address, Rizvi claimed that people were observing their shutdown spontaneously.

“People have given their support to our hartal and they also rejected polls to the two Dhaka city corporations,” he said, adding that their shutdown was being observed peacefully across the city.

A huge number of law enforcers were deployed near the BNP’s Nayapaltan office and adjoining areas. Around 11:45am, police asked the BNP leaders and activists to leave within half an hour. The protesters left before noon.