Fire fighters try to douse the fire that almost destroyed a double-decker bus at capital's Jatrabari today. Pro-hartal activists set fire to the bus to create panic among the city dwellers just before the day of BNP-led opposition's 84 hours hartal in the country. Photo: Amran Hossain

At least 10 vehicles were torched and three people injured in blasts in different parts of the capital on the eve of the opposition's 84-hour hartal beginning tomorrow.

In another development, a security guard of Brac University Prof Pias Karim's house in Dhanmondi sustained a bullet wound in his leg as criminals fired a shot and hurled four cocktails targeting the house.

Police picked up two people with firearms in Kalabagan area in connection with the attack, Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kalabagan Police Station, told The Daily Star.

In Mirpur, a doctor and his driver were injured when miscreants hurled a crude bomb at their private car around 8:30pm.

The injured were named as Dr Mortuza Mostafa and his driver Azizul Haque. Azizul was admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hosptial.

A youth suffered 15 percent burn injuries when a petrol bomb was thrown at a bus near RamnaPark at Shahbagh around 6:00pm.

Md Mintu, 20, a staff of Alico, is a resident of Keraniganj a suburb of the capital.

Pro-hartal activists blasted four crude bombs at Jatrabari while police detained one from Mohakhali.

Hartal supporters torched two buses at Abdullahpur and Agargaon areas around 9:00pm and around 7:00pm respectively.

The BNP-led 18-party alliance called the shutdown to press home its demand for a non-party polls-time government.

In Jatrabari, hartal supporters set afire to a BRTC double-decker bus and exploded four crude bombs around 8:45am.

Police found eight handmade bombs in an abandoned condition at the spot, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Jatrabari Police Station.

The bus was set on fire in front of a police outpost at Kutubkhali and was completely burnt before fire fighters could reach the spot, fire officials said.

None was reported hurt in the fire.

Meanwhile, a pro-hartal activist set fire to a bus of TitumirGovernmentCollege at Mohakhali around 11:30am, said Bhuiyan Mahbub Hasan, OC of Banani Police Station.

But the students and staff however put out the blaze shortly after it was set on fire, said the OC.

The students managed to catch one Ashique when he was running away after setting ablaze the bus. Ashique was later handed over to police.

In primary interrogation, Ashique claimed that he set alight the bus as Mehedi, a local leader of Jatiyabadi Chhatra Dal, asked him to do so, said the OC.

In Fakirapul area, miscreants torched a private car near RazarbaghPoliceLineHospital around 12:15pm, said a duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Hartal supporters set fire to a private car at Boubazar area in Capital’s Panthapath around 2:00pm, said Abdul Momin, officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

The BNP-led 18-party alliance called the shutdown to press home its demand for a non-party polls-time government.

After the opposition alliance announced the hartal yesterday, detectives arrested BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Miah when they came out of Hotel Sonargaon.

The fresh shutdown is the longest in a single spell in the last five years.

The previous two spells of shutdown on October 27-29 and November 4-6 killed at least 18 people across the country.