8 Jamaat-Shibir men held in Dhaka

Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir activists on Thursday brought out sporadic processions in Dhaka and Chittagong in support of their 2-phase nationwide hartal called to protest the death sentence of Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami convicted on war crimes charges. Police have driven back party leaders and activists trying to bring out processions in various parts of Dhaka city during the 1st of the 2 rounds of shutdowns which began at 6:00am today. So far 8 people have been arrested from a procession in the city’s Lalbagh area and after a raid at Mirpur. Public transport appeared to be normal and people were seen heading for their work places. Long-haul buses have not, however, left from the Gabtoli, Mohakhali, and Syedabad terminals for fear of violence. But those plying on short routes ran as usual after the Dhaka Road Transport Association (DTA) decided to ignore the 72-hour shutdown call. Launches from Sahdarghat terminal and trains from the Kamalapur Railway Station left on schedule, according to bdnews24.com.