DHAKA: A 48-hour hartal, enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting the Supreme Court’s verdict to uphold death penalty of its leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, is underway from Tuesday morning.

Began at 6am on the day, the shutdown is set to continue till 6am on Thursday beside the ongoing blockade for indefinite period, enforced by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Prior to the shutdown, stray acts of sabotages were reported at several places across the country Monday night.

Leaders and activists of Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chattra Shibir brought out procession in Chirirbandar under Ranirbandar Upazila of Dinajpur district around 11:30pm on Monday.

They also vandalized eight vehicles there, leaving three people injured.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are on duty across the country including the city to keep law and order situations under control.

Meanwhile, a total of 248 platoons of BGB personnel have been deployed across the country since Monday night to prevent sabotage during hartal hours.

Additional law enforcement agencies’ members have been deployed in front of government offices and key point installments (KPI) and at the strategic point in the city.

Earlier on Monday, Jamaat acting Ameer Makbul Ahmad announced the hartal issuing a press statement sent by its publicity wing to media.

Terming the apex court verdict as a ‘government conspiracy to kill Kamaruzzaman’, the party enforced shutdown across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, demanding its leader’s release.

However, ambulance, freezer van, vehicles of hospital and fire services will remain out of purview of the shutdown, according to the statement.

On April 6, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected Kamaruzzaman’s review petition, filed against its verdict, upholding his death penalty for his crimes against humanity committed during War of Independence in 1971.

** Jamaat’s 2-day hartal from Tuesday

BDST: 0858 HRS, APR 07, 2015