A large number of private cars seen plying on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in Dhaka on February 1, 2015 on the first day of a 72-hour hartal sponsored by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. Photo: STAR

At least three vehicles were set on fire in Gazipur this morning to begin the first day of 72-hour countrywide hartal enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Pro-hartal supporters torched a parked covered van at Sreepur around 6:30am, our Gazipur correspondent reports quoting locals. They also blasted several crude bombs in the area.    

Miscreants set ablaze a parked motorbike at Sreepur Bormi Bazar area around 11:00am and a truck was torched in Sreepur early today, he said quoting witnesses.

However, no one was reportedly injured in the arsons.

Otherwise, no major untoward incident was heard elsewhere in the country.

In Dhaka, vehicular movement remained normal. A good number of private car owners have dared to come out to the city roads defying today’s hartal.

Commuters were seen waiting for buses to go to their offices and other destinations in the morning.

Only long distance buses have not left terminals for destinations from Dhaka to other districts of the country during the hartal hours.