Staff Reporter :The BNP-led 20-party alliance will enforce a nationwide daylong hartal today (Monday), protesting the ‘foiling’ of its scheduled Gazipur rally and demanding the release of its arrested senior leaders.The hartal that will begin at 6am and end at 6pm is also meant for registering protest against the arrest of the alliance leaders and the government dual policy in enforcing law.It will be the 20-party’s second hartal since the January-5 election as it enforced another shutdown programme on September 22 this year protesting the 16th constitutional amendment empowering parliament to remove Supreme Court judges for ‘misconduct’ and ‘incapacity’.The alliance already enforced a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Gazipur and staged demonstrations across the country on Saturday protesting the ‘foiling’ of the rally. Addressing a press beefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Sunday evening, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the government was randomly arresting and harassing their leaders and activists in the name of police raid ahead of the hartal.He claimed over 150 opposition leaders and activists were arrested by the law enforcers as of Sunday evening centring the shutdown programme.Rizvi urged people to observe the hartal peacefully and make it a success braving all obstacles and instigations.Earlier on Saturday night, police arrested Jubo Dal president Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal accusing him of planning to carry out subversive acts during the hartal.Meanwhile, supporters of the 20-party brought out processions at different parts of city, including Mohakhali, Mirpur and Moghbazar, in support of the lockdown programme.Huge law enforcers took position in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office after two crude bombs went off in the area around 5:20pm.
