Staff Reporter :The BNP-led 20-party alliance’s fresh 72-hour countrywide non-stop hartal begins today (Sunday) morning amid the ongoing countrywide non-stop blockade programme. The shutdown will continue till 6:00 AM of Wednesday. The alliance called the hartal protesting killings, mass arrest and torture of its leaders and activists and demanding restoration of the democracy in the country.BNP Joint-Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of the 20-party alliance, announced the shutdown programme on Friday. The 20-party has already observed a 108-hour non-stop hartal last week. The hartal was first called for 72 hours and then it was extended for 36 more hours. The SSC examinations could not began on February 1 due to that hartal. The government had rescheduled two examinations.The government has also rescheduled two other examinations due to the fresh 72-hour hartal. The examinations will be held on February 13 and 14 instead of February 8 and 10. Salahudin Ahmed in a statement on Saturday called upon the leaders and workers of the 20-party alliance and the countrymen to observe the hartal spontaneously. He also called for continuing the ongoing blockade programme alongside with the hartal. He said that the government was killing and torturing the leaders and workers of the 20-party alliance in a bid to cling to power. It had already arrested a large numbers of leaders and workers, and killed people in the name of so-called crossfire and gunfight. He asked the government to stop killing and arrest. The BNP leader also demanded the release of the leaders and workers who were arrested during the ongoing movement.
