A 48-hour hartal, called by BNP and its allies to protest the 12th general election to be held on Sunday, is now underway.

The hartal began at 6:00am and will end at 6:00am on Monday.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi led a procession and picketing on the first day of the 48-hour hartal in favour of boycotting the election and non-cooperation movement.

The procession started from Shahbagh intersection in the capital at 7:30 am and ended at Bangla Motor. At that time, the leaders and activists protested and picketed by setting fire to tires.

A large number of people have left Dhaka city ahead of the January 7 national parliamentary election. The number of vehicles on the street are fewer compared to other days, but despite fear of arson attacks, public vehicles were plying the streets.

Four people were killed as arsonists burnt four coaches of the Benapole Express train in Dhaka last night.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the hartal at a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

He said their programme is meant to drum up public support in favor of the party’s call to boycott the January 7 election.

BNP along with nearly three dozen opposition political parties have been carrying out a simultaneous movement since December 10 last year to force the current government to quit and hold the 12th parliamentary election under a non-party neutral administration.

Many senior leaders, including BNP’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were arrested while many others went into hiding in the face of a crackdown by the law enforcers.

However, BNP and like-minded parties enforced countrywide blockades for 23 days in 12 phases and hartals for five days since October 29.

The opposition party came up with the call for a non-cooperation movement on December 20.