DHAKA: Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led (BNP) 20-party alliance on Saturday announced another spell of countrywide 72-hour hartal starting from Sunday.

The hartal will begin from 6:00am on Sunday and continue till 6:00am on Wednesday, coupled with a nationwide road-rail-waterway blockade for indefinite period.

BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of his party chairperson Khaleda Zia and the alliance, made the announcement through a statement on Saturday noon.

The statement says that the fresh hartal was called in protest of government’s “conspiracy to starve Khaleda to death”, killing and injuring the alliance men by firing, arresting of innocent people en masse, interfering and grabbing the judiciary by government, torturing journalists and controlling media.

The shutdown was announced in demand of holding free and fair general election under a nonpartisan government, establishing people’s rights to vote, restoring democracy, establishing people’s basic and human rights, and releasing all detained leaders and political prisoner of the alliance, it adds.

In previous three weeks, country witnessed a series of shutdowns by the alliances, which were followed by a two-day break during the weekend only.

On January 5, Khaleda announced a blockade for indefinite time protesting government’s bar to obverse the ‘democracy killing day’ and her ‘confinement’ to Gulshan political office.

On that day, incumbent Awami League government marked the first year of its 5-year tenure since it takes office through January 5 polls, which BNP boycotted.

BDST: 1320 HRS, FEB 14, 2015