The AL, left-leaning 11-party combine, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and National Awami Party called the hartal to press their demand for immediate resignation of the BNP-led coalition government for its 'failure' to run the country properly, and for holding of early general elections.

The port city of Chittagong was kept outside the purview of the shutdown due to an International Islamic Conference, and tornado-hit Gaibandha district was also exempted from the hartal to facilitate distribution of relief materials among the victims.

In the capital, hartal was shortened by four hours till 2:00 pm for smooth holding of a demonstration -- a mass signature display programme at Manik Mia Avenue -- organised by the family of slain former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria's family. In Sylhet, hartal hours were curtailed for the burial of Matiur Rahman, an AL leader of the party unit in UK.

The shutdown affected life and economic activities in the country. Shops remained closed and all modes of transport, except rickshaws and a small number of three wheelers and buses, were off the roads during the hartal hours.

Most educational institutions, business houses and other establishments remained closed.

In Dhaka, police picked up more than 20 pro-hartal pickets from different areas.

Some 6,000 police and paramilitary BDR personnel were deployed at vulnerable points to avert violence.

Bangabandhu Avenue
A huge contingent of police cordoned off the AL central office from early morning and prevented party activists from gathering there. Police also made the area off-limits to pedestrians.

Defying the police barricade, a small number of opposition men gathered on Bangabandhu Avenue at around 9:00 am.

Russell Square
Members of the AL parliamentary wing brought out a procession from the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at about 10:30 am. Senior party leaders also joined the procession when it reached Russell square.

The participants staged a sit-in there for more than an hour. Opposition Chief Whip Abdus Shahid, lawmaker Mohammad Nasim, Faruk Khan, Abdul Mannan, Mirza Azam and Dr Abdur Razzak addressed the demonstrators. A big contingent of police guarded the venue till the sit-in ended at about 1:00pm.

AL lawmaker Faruk Khan had an exchange of heated words and also a scuffle with police when they prevented some female activists from joining the demonstration and tried to pick them up in police van.

In Sirajganj, at least 10 AL leaders and activists were injured in police baton charge on a procession in the morning in Bazar Station area.

Of the injured, district AL Organising Secretary Belal Hossain and Sadar upazila unit General Secretary Abdus Sattar were admitted to a local hospital. Police also picked up an AL activist.

Our staff correspondent in Rajshahi reports: Activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir, allegedly backed by police, swooped on pro-hartal pickets when they stopped a Rajshahi University (RU) bus at nearby Kajla. Eight pickets were injured in the attack.

The injured included Sadiuzzaman Faruk, vice president of RU unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). He was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with critical injuries.

Akram Hossain, officer-in-charge of Motihar police station, denied that police backed the attackers.

Our staff correspondent in Sylhet reports that hartal passed off peacefully in the district.

District AL brought out a procession and held a rally in the town.

The ruling BNP brought out an anti-hartal procession.

Our Gopalganj correspondent adds: Police arrested two district BCL leaders during the hartal.

Our correspondents in different other districts also reported about peaceful observance of the hartal.