At least 25 people including seven policemen were injured Sunday in clashes between hartal supporters and the law enforcers in Habiganj and Sylhet during the nationwide hartal enforced by Hefajat-e-Islam. Hefajat called the general strike protesting the killing of its activists and the "attack on them by ruling party men" Friday during anti-Modi demonstrations in Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts. In Habiganj's Ajmiriganj upazila, picketers locked into an argument with policemen as they were conducting patrols. At one stage, hundreds of villagers and Hefajat supporters started attacking law enforcers with domestic weapons and brick chips, the locals said. Also read: Hefazat’s day-long hartal ends amid violence, clashes Seven policemen including Ajmiriganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nurul Islam were injured in the clash. The hartal supporters also vandalised a pick-up van and torched two motorcycles of police. To take control of the situation, police fired 33 rounds of rubber bullets and hurdled brick chips towards the protesters.   OC Nurul Islam said, "Calm prevails now. However, additional law enforcers have been deployed at the spot. Of the seven injured policemen, sub-inspectors Polwel and Mujibur were admitted to the local hospital." Also read: Hartal: 30 hurt during clash with cops in Narayanganj Meanwhile, four teenagers were detained from Sylhet city during a clash between Hefajat activists and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men. Five including two BCL men were "injured in the clash," Sylhet Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Ajbahar Ali Sheikh said.

The nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal, enforced by Hefajat-e-Islam, passed off on Sunday amid sporadic incidents of clashes, vandalism, arson attacks and roads blockades at different parts of the country. However, the hartal that began around 6am and ended at 6pm had little impact on the everyday life of people in the capital, except the low presence of public vehicles on the city streets. Rickshaws dominated the streets of the capital as usual. A large number of law enforcers remained deployed at important city points to fend off any trouble. Only a few long-distance buses left Dhaka for different districts while the train service was normal with poor presence of passengers. Hefazat activists brought out processions in the capital's different areas, including Jatrabari, Paltan, Baitul Mukarram, Lalbagh, Mohammadpur and Basila, in support of the shutdown. Hefazat activists blocked Jatrabari and Signboard in the morning setting fire to tyres.