After giving a pause for a day, the BNP and like-minded parties will again enforce a 48-hour countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade beginning from Wednesday (November 15, 2023) to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme at a virtual press briefing on Monday afternoon. He said the other opposition parties, who have long been carrying out the simultaneous movement with BNP, also observe a similar programme. Read: BNP-Jamaat's blockade: 189 BGB platoons deployed across the country Rizvi said the blockade programme will be observed from 6am Wednesday to 6am Friday across the country. It will be the fifth phase of the blockade programme of the opposition parties. The BNP leader said their ongoing blockade was successful with the spontaneous support of the country’s people. He thanked the leaders and activists of BNP and like-minded parties to make the blockade programme a success. The fresh agitation was announced around 14 hours before the end of the opposition’s 48-hour nationwide blockade that was enforced at 6am on Sunday. The ongoing blockade has been marked by widespread incidents of violence, including torching and vandalising vehicles. Read: The ones bearing the brunt of blockades BNP and other opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have been enforcing blockades across the country in fourth phases since Oct 31. They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Oct 29 in protest against the attacks on BNP’s grand rally at Nayapaltan that ended amid the incidents of torching vehicles and clashes, leaving three people dead. Half an hour into the start of BNP's much-talked-about grand rally at Nayapaltan on October 28, BNP leaders and workers locked in a clash with the ruling party activists and police at Kakrail. Soon violent clashes spread around Nayapaltan, foiling the rally midway. Read more: Day 2 of 4th blockade called by BNP, Jamaat underway

A total of 189 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed across the country to maintain law and order as the fourth countrywide blockade called by the BNP, Jamaat and likeminded opposition parties is underway. Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) at BGB headquarters, confirmed the development this morning. Read: 152 BGB platoons deployed across the country amid BNP-Jamaat's latest blockade  Today, on the second day of the 48-hour blockade, 25 BGB platoons were deployed in Dhaka and adjoining districts to avoid any untoward incident. Moreover, an adequate number of BGB personnel were kept on standby to promptly respond to any emergency in the country, he added. Like the previous blockades, members of the frontier battalion have been performing their duties alongside police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar to ensure public safety and security in Dhaka and other parts of the country. Read: Two passenger buses set on fire in Dhaka on eve of fresh 48-hr blockade  For the third week, BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties have called a countrywide blockade of roads, rail lines, and waterways to press home their one-point demand ahead of the national election. A total of three arson attacks were reported in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Savar on Sunday night.

A total of nine arson attacks were reported across the country from 8 pm last night to 6 am today (November 12, 2023), according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Of these, 7 arson attacks were reported in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Gulistan, Gabtoli, near Notre Dame College, Rupnagar, Sutrapur and Mirpur areas, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense Media Cell, this morning. All the arson attacks in Dhaka were on buses ahead of the countrywide 48-hour blockade of roads, rail lines and waterways. Read: Arsonists set fire to another bus in Dhaka's Mirpur Moreover, the miscreants also set a pickup van and a bus on fire in Gazipur and Barishal respectively in the same period. Supporters of BNP and its associate bodies brought out a procession in favour of the blockade this morning in Barishal city and they also burnt tyres on the streets. Read: Fire Service records 15 arson incidents across country in 37 hrs till Thursday evening At a virtual press briefing, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday called upon the country’s people and BNP supporters to observe the blockade and make it successful. Read more: 13 arson incidents reported in 27 hours till this morning: Fire Service

After a day of relative calm in Dhaka, unidentified arsonists in the capital set fire to five buses in Jatrabari, Gulistan, Gabtoli, near Notre Dame College and Mirpur, all after 9pm ahead of the 48-hour countrywide blockade to be enforced by BNP and like-minded opposition parties from tomorrow (Sunday, November 12, 2023) morning. Besides, a pick-up van was torched in Gazipur's Joydebpur area around 9:33pm. On information, two firefighting teams from Gazipur Fire Station rushed to the spot and are trying to tame the blaze, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence's media cell. Spate of bus burnings after dark in capital sets stage for tense blockade A Shomoy Niyontron bus was torched in front of Sundarban Square Super Market in Gulistan around 9:00pm, he said. Two firefighting units from Siddique Bazar Fire Station are working to put out the blaze, added the officer. Meanwhile, a bus of Anabil Paribahan was torched in front of a fruit market in Jatrabari around 9:27 pm. Two passenger buses set on fire in Dhaka on eve of fresh 48-hr blockade Two firefighting units from Postogola Fire Station reached the scene to douse the blaze, added the official. A Projapati Paribahan bus was set ablaze in Mirpur around 11.30pm. Two firefighting units from Mirpur Fire Station went to the spot to douse the fire, according to Talha bin Zasim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (media cell). Earlier, another passenger bus was set on fire in Gabtoli Bus Stand area, around the same time as the one near Notre Dame College. One more bus set on fire in Dhaka’s Mirpur

Twenty-seven platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in Dhaka and adjoining districts to maintain law and order situation as the 48-hour countrywide blockade called by the BNP, Jamaat and likeminded opposition parties began this morning (November 05, 2023). Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) at BGB headquarters, confirmed the development this morning, saying that 10 more platoons of the paramilitary forces have been kept standby to face any situation. Like the first spell of the blockade, the members of the frontier battalion have been performing their duties alongside police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar to ensure public safety and security in Dhaka and other parts of the country. Read: BGB deployed to beef up security for garment factories in Dhaka, Gazipur After the three-day countrywide blockade, another road, rail and waterways blockade for 48 hours called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties began across the country this morning. The blockade started at 6am today and will end at 6 am on Tuesday (November 07, 2023). The number of private and public transports on the road is more compared to the three-day blockade last week. Read more: BGB on alert ahead of national election, says its DG