Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for second straight day called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies demanding that the government trace its leader M Ilias Ali and his driver began on Monday.
Several pro-strike activists were detained from three city points – Nayapaltan, Central Shaheed Minar and Gulshan, according to reports.
The main opposition BNP and its allies announced the strike, generally known as hartal, on Sunday after wrapping up a 24 hours hartal on Ilias issue.
Huge contingents of law enforcers are seen patrolling the streets at all key points of the city to maintain law and order during the hartal hours.
Almost all modes of vehicles except few buses and rickshaws went off the streets. All educational institutions, business establishments and most shops remained closed.
Very few CNG run three wheelers are seen to ply the city streets during the morning hours.
Rickshaws are found dominating the major thoroughfares of the city like other strike days.
Meanwhile, the government postponed Monday’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations due to the strike, generally known as hartal.
Mr. Ilias, a former lawmaker and now Sylhet Division organizing secretary of the party, and his driver went missing around midnight of April 17.
On Wednesday, police found Ilias’s private car abandoned near his Banani residence in the capital and that day BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday.
Sunday’s countrywide hartal was observed without any major incidents.
BBN/SSR/AD-23Apr12-10:20 am (BST)
