The first day of the 48-hour countrywide fresh blockade programme, enforced by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its political allies, Jamaat-e-Islami, left the capital Dhaka disconnected from the rest of the country on Sunday amid reports of sporadic clashes.BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a press conference that the blockade programme would be observed until 6:00am on Tuesday across the country.

At least 17 buses were set on fire between Saturday 7:00pm and Sunday 6:30am across the country, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence.Fire incidents were reported in Dhaka city, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Bhola, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Sirajganj, among other places.On the first day of the fresh blockade, the number of public transport was thin in the capital.Although some buses ran on the city streets, the number of passengers was few and far between.

CNG-run auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and rickshaws dominated the empty roads and travelled smoothly without facing traffic signals.

The presence of people in most of the offices, including banking and non-banking financial institutions, was also found in low numbers.

A lack of service seekers or clients during the blockade resulted in government officials passing idle time.

Educational institutions that were open also had a low presence of students, and some schools rescheduled exams due to the blockade.

The city’s many shops were also closed on the day.

Leaders and activists, including pro-lawyers of the BNP and its allies in the simultaneous movement, brought out processions in several places in the capital in support of the blockade.

The leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League and its associated bodies were also taking positions at different spots in the capital, holding brief rallies, and bringing out processions wielding sticks.

Almost all the inter-district buses were off the streets due to a lack of passengers and a fear of arson.

The buses were seen parked inside and outside of the terminals while the transport works were passing idle time, and most of the counters were found closed.

Huge numbers of law enforcement agencies were seen patrolling on roads, in and around bus and launch terminals, and on highways. Twenty-seven platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed in Dhaka and nearby districts to maintain security, while another 10 platoons were kept on standby, said BGB public relations officer Shariful Islam.

The Rapid Action Battalion media wing director, Khandaker Al Moin, said that they had deployed 300 petrol teams across the country to maintain security during the blockade.

Ansar deputy director for media Zahidul Islam said that 65,000 Ansar and VDP members had been deployed nationwide to ensure safe and uninterrupted movements on roads, railways, and waterways.

The owners of the city’s Gabtoli bus terminal did not operate their buses, even though home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said at a rally at the terminal on Friday that the buses would leave at any cost even if the number of passengers were few.

Despite the minister’s assurance to provide security, most of the long-route buses did not operate.

‘Buses were kept ready to operate, but how could we operate if there were no passengers?’ said Prabhat Roy, manager of Shyamoli Paribahan.

During a visit to the Moakhali bus terminal, it was found that long-route buses were kept parked in and around the terminal.

Transport staff and ticket masters said that there was instruction from the owner association to run buses amid the blockade, but they could not do so due to a lack of passengers and fears of arson attacks.

Most buses that use the Sayedabad terminal were also off the streets.

The buses of Hanif Paribahan and Shyamoli Paribahan failed to make a single trip from the terminal until 12:00pm, said the countermasters.

Ruhul Amin, manager at Hanif Paribahan in Sayedabad, said that no buses left for Sylhet, Chattogram, Khulna, and Barishal from 6:00am to 12:00pm.

‘We are afraid of arson attacks while there are also no passengers to run the buses,’ he added.

However, Sayedabad Bus Terminal Owners Association president Abul Kalam claimed that some buses ran on long roads with few passengers. ‘What they could do if they did not get passengers,’ he said.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority traffic inspector at Sadarghat launch terminal, Humayun Kabir, said seven scheduled launches were cancelled due to a shortage of passengers.

‘We have all scheduled launches in the pipeline, but owners do not want to operate them due to the shortage of passengers,’ he added.

All trains departed and arrived on schedule, but the numbers of passengers were low compared to regular days, said Masud Sarwar, station manager at Kamalapur Railway station.

Mujibur Rahman, a tea vendor at the rail station, said, ‘I never saw such a poor number of train passengers. I am passing idle time due to a lack of customers.’

On Sunday morning, Dhaka University unit leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student front of the BNP, locked the entrances of different academic buildings.

Later, the leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League’s student wing, the Chhatra League Dhaka University unit, and the university administration opened the gates by breaking the locks.

Leaders and activists of the JCD of Jahangirnagar University unit briefly locked several faculties on the campus on Sunday.

A proctorial team rushed there and unlocked the gates.

A group, led by JU’s Chhatra Dal unit former acting general secretary Zahir Uddin Mohammad Babar, locked the gates of the buildings at the faculties of Business Studies, Arts, Biology, and the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture with padlocks.

JCD activists also locked the main gate of Cumilla University on the day.

Leaders and activists of the Chittagong University BCL unit on Sunday escorted teachers and staff buses to prevent vandalism.

The buses were guarded by 40–50 BCL activists and at least 20 motorcycles.

A scary situation gripped the city people as many public transports were set on fire in the city while a good number of CNG-run auto-rickshaws were vandalised.

BNP, its associate bodies, and other partners of the ongoing movement, including Ganatantra Mancha and Gono Odhikar Parishad, brought out processions in the city to support the blockade programme.

A passenger suffered burn injuries after criminals set fire to a bus in the Meradia area of Dhaka’s Khilgaon.

The injured was identified as Md Sabuj, 30, a resident of Merul Badda. He was admitted to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with critical burn injuries.

Sabuj’s wife, Rushda, said that her husband is a transport worker. He is the driver of a ‘Ramjan Paribahan’ bus. His bus was parked on the side of the road in the Meradia area.

He left home in the morning to go to work and boarded a bus for ‘Acchim Paribahan’. When he was about to get off the bus in the Meradia area, it was set on fire, his wife said.

Tariqul Islam, a resident doctor at the burn institute, said Sabuj suffered 28 per cent burn injuries, and his respiratory tract was damaged.

At least two policemen and one Ansar member were injured in a cocktail blast in a police car in the House Building area of the capital’s Uttara on Sunday around noon.

Uttara West police station inspector (operations) Partha Pratim said sub-inspector Mahbub Ali of the police station, a constable, and an Ansar member were injured in the cocktail attack on the police vehicle.

Former vice-president of Gazipur Mahanagar Chhatra Dal Gazi, Md Hassan, 32, has been arrested over the incident.

New Age correspondents from different districts reported incidents of violence, including clashes with police and torching of vehicles on Sunday.

New Age staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that supporting the blockade, a group of people set the tyres of vehicles on fire and blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway at the Talaimari crossing in the city.

Jamaat leaders and activists also brought out a protest procession and held a short rally on the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway at the Kharkhari Bypass area in the afternoon.

No long-route buses left Rajshahi, while only a few inter-district buses operated due to a lack of passengers.In Chattogram, a parked bus was torched in Chattogram’s Patenga area on Sunday amid the hartal called by BNP to protest the arrest and remand of BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and other party leaders.Public transport in the port city was less than usual amid the 48-hour nationwide blockade called by the BNP and other opposition parties.

Incidents of clashes and torching transports were also reported from Feni, Khagrachari, Munshiganj, Pabna, Sylhet and Bogura.