DHAKA: The extended hartal sponsored by Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led (BNP) 20-party alliance has rolled into the fourth day on Wednesday.

The shutdown began at 6:00am on Sunday, coupled with a nationwide road-rail-waterway blockade for indefinite period. 

Later on Tuesday, the alliance extended its ongoing shutdown till 6:00am Friday instead of 6:00pm on Wednesday.

Sabotages were reported at the different places of the country on Tuesday night.

Miscreants exploded cocktails at Jahagirngar University campus. A student was detained on suspicion. However, no causality was reported.

On Saturday, BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of his party chairperson Khaleda Zia and the alliance, announced the fourth spell of nationwide shutdown through issuing a statement.

According to the statement, 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 prisoners of the alliance, it adds.

On Tuesday noon, the alliance declared that it has extended the ongoing hartal from Wednesday to 6:00am on Friday.

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

Meanwhile, The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations, staled for Sunday (February 15), have been rescheduled for February 20 due to the hartal.

In addition to the hartal, a nationwide blockade is underway for indefinite period since Khaleda announced the blockade on January 5 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: 0630 HRS, FEB 18, 2015