UNB, Dhaka :Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Wednesday urged the Jamaat-e-Islami to withdraw its hartal called considering the interest of 4.5 crore school students as free textbook distribution among them will begin today Thursday.The minister came up with the request while talking to reporters at his ministry on Wednesday.This year, the government will distribute 32.63will again enforce its second-phase hartal on Thursday from 6am to 5:30pm.In capital Dhaka, activists of Jamaat and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir brought out processions in support of the shutdown in Goran area under Khilgaon thana and Alia Madrasah area under Chwakbazar thana in the morning only to be dispersed by police.The vehicular movement in the city was almost normal.Pickets torched a covered van at Ghuntighar under Shyampur thana in the city’s Gandaria area around 6:35 am. Later, a fire-fighting unit doused the flame.Farhad Hossain, the duty officer at Fire Service Control Room, confirmed the incident.However, no long-route bus left the city.Although vehicular movement was less than normal, the number is more than other hartal days with the lower presence of pickets on the city streets.A large number of law enforcers guarded the city streets to avert any untoward incident.Stray incidents of violence during the shutdown were also reported from various districts, including Gazipur, Chapainawabganj and Sylhet.Around 70 Jamaat-Shibir men were arrested in different districts, including Bagerhat, Satkhira, Bogra and Joypurhat districts.
