A 72-hour countrywide hartal, called by BNP-led 20-party alliance, alongside transport blockade, entered second day on Monday as part of its movement for restoring democracy.

Early in the morning, a bus was torched at Gabtoli area in the capital. But no one was reportedly injured.

On the other hand, miscreants hurled petrol bomb at a bus at Dayaganj area at noon.

Later, Fire Service men rushed to the spot and doused the fire. None was reportedly injured.

The strike began around 6am on Sunday and will end at 6am on Wednesday.

On Friday, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the shutdown programme in a press release.

The hartal was called to protest the ruling party leaders’ threat to ‘blow out’ the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office and arrest her, the Prime Minister’s instruction to police to suppress the movement by any means, hurling, killing of 21 leaders and activists during blockade, attacks on BNP leaders homes and vandalisiing their cars.

The statement also protested arrest of over 15,000 leaders of 20-party alliance across the country, and filing of around 1.5 lakh 'false' cases against them, harassment of opposition men by joint forces' drives and shifting the blame on the opposition after carrying out acts of sabotage by throwing petrol bombs at public transports by government agents.

TF