The BNP-led 20-party alliance on Friday called a fresh 72-hour nationwide hartal from 6am on Sunday as part of its movement for what it says resorting democracy and people’s voting right, and protesting government’s repressive acts and growing incidents of extrajudicial killing. In a statement, BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of the alliance, announced the shutdown programme. The hartal that will end at 6am on Wednesday is also meant for registering the 20-party’s protest against mass arrest of opposition men and common people, interference in the judiciary, control over the media and torture on journalists. The shutdown programme will also be observed to press home the alliance’s demand for restoring human and basic rights of people, securing the release of the 20-party leaders and activists, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Salahuddin said they will enforce the 72-hour hartal alongside their ongoing countrywide transport blockade which remains in force for 32 consecutive days. Earlier in the day, Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student body of 20-party’s key partner Jamaat-e-Islami, called a 24-hour countrywide hartal for Sunday protesting the killing and arrest of it leaders and activists. In a press statement, Shibir president Abdul Jabbar announced the shutdown programme that will begin at 6 am Sunday and end at 6 am on Monday. Meanwhile, Rajshahi unit Chhatra Shibir also called a 48-hour hartal in eight districts of the division from Sunday protesting what it said the killing of its Rajshahi University unit leader by police. The 20-party also had enforced hartal for five consecutive days from Sunday last week, forcing the authorities concerned to reschedule the Secondary Scholl Certificate (SSC) exams that fell during the hartal hours. The SSC and its equivalent examinations, originally scheduled to start on Sunday simultaneously under the country’s 10 education boards, including one of madrasah and another technical board, began today (Friday). –UNB, Dhaka.
