Strikers torch truck in city, damage passing vehicles

Suspected hartal supporters have set fire to a truck at Gendaria in old part of Dhaka on Wednesday morning. Jamaat-e-Islami called back-to-back hartals (shutdown) for today (Dec 31) and Thursday (Januray 1, 2015) in protest against the death verdict of the party's acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam for wartime offences. Apart from this act of arson, suspected Jamaat activists damaged 2 passing vehicles in Malibagh and Naya Paltan areas in the morning. The pickets hurled brick chips to the 2 vehicles and tried to damage another before police arrived and drove the off the streets, according to a news agency.