Jamaat\\\'s 2nd phase 48-hr shutdown underway

The 2nd phase of the nationwide 72-hour hartal, called by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting its Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami’s death sentence for wartime offences, began at 6:00am on Sunday. The 48-hour 2nd round nonstop shutdown will end at 6:00am on Tuesday. Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in different parts of the country, including Dhaka city, ahead of the general strike. The BGB men alongside members of other law enforcement agencies, including police, started patrolling the city streets on Saturday evening to maintain the law and order, said sources at the BGB headquarters. Meanwhile, four crude bombs were exploded in Dhaka's Khilkhet area on Saturday evening, ahead of the lockdown. Witnesses said the crude bombs went off under the Khilkhet Footbridge around 6:30pm. However, no one was injured in the blast, according to a news agency.