Jamaat’s hartal today

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said it would enforce daylong hartal today protesting at the execution of the party secretary general, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, while the government has taken precautionary measures to keep law and order normal.
In a statement, which was issued by the party’s central publicity unit on Sunday morning hours after the execution of their top leader in Dhaka Central Jail, the party said it would enforce a day-long, peaceful, countrywide hartal today in protest of the killing of their secretary general and former cabinet minister.
The statement, signed by M Alam, said they offered namaz-e-janaza for the dead, across the country, and prayed for him.
The statement also sought cooperation from the people, especially from the party activists.
‘Hospital, ambulance, newspaper-related vehicles and medicine shops will be out of the purview of the hartal,’ it said.
Mojaheed was executed early Sunday alongside BNP standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on charge of 1971 war crimes.
The police and para-military force have already taken up additional security arrangement to maintain law and order.
Police headquarters officials said that all of its units were kept alert across the country.
‘We, however, kept special deployment of 500 personnel for strategic points,’ said assistant inspector general of police (operations) Anisur Rahman.
The Border Guard Bangladesh headquarters officials said they were still getting requisition from the district administration for deploying paramilitary forces, although 79 platoons, including 13 in Dhaka, had been on patrol duty since the eve of the two executions.
‘We have already deployed personnel in most of the trouble-prone districts, including Comilla and Noakhali,’ said a BGB senior official.
Elite force Rapid Action Battalion members were seen patrolling the capital’s strategic points since Saturday night while police were seen frisking people at check posts and checking documents of vehicles, especially of motorbikes.
Meanwhile, a number of social-cultural, business and educational groups urged the party to cancel their strike.
The government on Sunday rescheduled the primary terminal and ebtedayee final examinations scheduled for today.
Senior police officials said that they had been arresting a large number of troublemakers and the accused in cases related to political violence since October 22 after the police ‘identified an organised group active to destabilise the country’s law and order.’
Ahead of the executions and possible hartal, police officials said they had conducted several block-raids as precautionary measures.

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