Local BNP activists stage a sit-in at Thakurgaon intersection in the town yesterday demanding release of party's acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.Photo: STAR

An eight-hour hartal called by BNP in the district town passed off peacefully at 2:00pm yesterday.
BNP Comilla Dakkhin unit called the hartal, demanding the release of party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and withdrawal of the cases against central leaders, including standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
BNP leaders and activists brought out several processions in the town in the morning in support of the hartal.
All modes of vehicles, except for rickshaws, went off the roads while all educational and business institutions remained closed.
No long distance bus left the city during the hartal hours.
Away in Thakurgaon, district unit BNP observed an hour-long sit-in on the roads of the district town yesterday, demanding release of Mirza Fakhrul and withdrawal of all false cases against him.
The programme began at 1:00pm and continued till 2:00pm, reports our correspondent.

During the sit-in, several hundred local leaders and activists took position on different points of the road from bus stand to railway station including Thakuraon intersection, Art Gallery intersection and Tantipara intersection.
Vehicular movement came to a halt during the programme, causing immense sufferings to both long and short distance passengers.
Prior to the sit-in programme, the BNP men also brought out a procession that paraded different streets of the town.
The programme was followed by a discussion at Thakurgaon intersection where district unit general secretary Toimur Rahman, joint secretary Obaidullah Masud, organising secretary Poigam Ali and others spoke.