A countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by BNP protesting attack on its grand rally at Nayapaltan in the capital got underway on Sunday.

The opposition party is protesting the police action that foiled its grand rally on Saturday. The rally was organised to demand that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina steps down to allow a non-partisan caretaker administration to hold the upcoming national election due in next January.

Jamaat-e-Islami party also announced a hartal for Sunday, first workday of the week, to protest what it said police action on its rally at Shapla Chottar, Motijheel on Saturday.

Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) joined police and RAB to patrol the capital city during the shutdown.

A Shikar Paribahan bus was set on fire at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque this morning in first hours of the protest.

Fire Service Control Room duty officer Ershad Hossain said that the incident happened around 8.05 am today.

Receiving the information, the fire service personnel rushed to spot immediately and doused the fire, he added.

A small number of buses, private cars were seen plying the streets in the city.

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan confirmed that rail communication at Kamalapur Railway Station is being operated normally.

Leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami brought out a procession in the city's Madartek area around 8am today in support of the hartal.

Launch operation at Sadarghat terminal was seen as normal but there were few passengers.

UNB Natore correspondent reports: Awami League and Jubo League activists were seen patrolling different areas of Natore city with sticks and taking positions at bus terminals and important places since morning.

However, there were no passengers at the bus terminals.

In this situation, a local bus left Natore for Dhaka around 8 am.

Natore District Bus Owners Association General Secretary Mujibur Rahman said that the bus movement will be kept normal.

Train service is also normal since morning in the district.

No one from BNP or its associate organisations was seen on the streets in support of the hartal in Natore.

Earlier, on Saturday, The BNP called for a dawn-to-dusk nationwide hartal for Sunday suspending its grand rally at Nayapaltan in the capital halfway following violent clashes between law enforcers and opposition activists that killed at least two people, including a police constable and injured several hundred others.

Half an hour after the start of BNP's much-talked-about grand rally at Nayapaltan, the party's leaders and workers locked into a clash with the police at Kakrail. With the passage of time, violent clashes spread around Nayapaltan, forcing BNP to abruptly call off the rally.

According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, its constable Aminul Islam, 30, was killed and 102 others were injured during the clashes with the opposition protesters.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Faruk Hossain said that the injured policemen were undergoing treatment at different hospitals, including Rajarbagh Police Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He said they were injured during clashes in Motijheel, Kakrail and Naya Paltan areas while on duty, Faruk Hossain added.

Besides, Jubo Dal claimed its Mugda thana unit leader Shamim Molla died at Rajarbagh Police Hospital after receiving bullets at Nayapaltan during the clashes.

Jubo Dal acting general secretary Shafiqul Islam Milton said Shamim was shot by law enforcers at Nayapaltan and he was declared dead while taken to the police hospital. He claimed that Shamim's body was there at the police hospital morgue.