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Hartal progressing peacefully

The countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by 12 Islamic and like-minded parties is progressing peacefully on Sunday, which was endorsed by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
They called the shutdown protesting what they said attacks on their Friday’s demonstrations, and also demanding punishment to ‘atheist’ bloggers.
Maulana Shah Ahmadullah Ashraf, ameer of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, announced the hartal programme at a press briefing in the city on Friday.
Educational institutions, shops remained closed and almost all modes of vehicles, except rickshaws and BRTC buses, stayed off the streets in the capital. No untoward incident was reported till filing of this report. All trains and passenger launches left in time from Kamalapur station and Sadarghat terminal respectively.
A few minor untoward incidents were reported during the hartal hours in the capital city Dhaka.
The pro-hartal activists set fire to a human hauler (locally known as Leguna) in Dhalpur Natunrasta area of Jatrabari around 6:30am. Later, local managed to douse the fire.
In another incident, police arrested a pro-hartal activist at Dholaipar in Shyampur area, said Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Shyampur Police Station.
Huge contingents of police and Rapid Action Battalion personnel were deployed at all the key city points to maintain law and order during the hartal hours.
The ‘Ganajagaran Mancha’at Shahbagh, however, called the citizens to resist the lockdown and take to the streets in procession to thwart the people who use religion for business.