Pro-hartal activists vandalising a pickup van at capital's Malibagh intersection on Sunday, a day before 18-party opposition's 60-hour shutdown begins. Photo: Banglar Chokh

Three persons were injured in crude bomb blasts in Shahbagh, Katabon and Malibagh as violence erupted in different parts of the capital today on the eve of BNP-led 18-party opposition combine-sponsored 60-hour countrywide hartal (shutdown).
The government meanwhile deployed paramilitary forces in capital ahead of the hartal.
Muhammad Mohsin Reza, public relations officer of Border Guard Bangladesh, told The Daily Star that BGB personal were deployed in the capital this evening to assist the regular law enforcers in containing violence centring the hartal.
Unidentified miscreants also torched 10 vehicles including buses and exploded more than 50 cocktails at different parts of the capital.
Police suspected that the pro-hartal activists unleashed the violence to create panic among commuters ahead of the shutdown beginning at 6:00am tomorrow.
The opposition combine called the fresh shutdown in a span of seven days to press home its demand for a non-party polls-time government to oversee the next general election.
UNB adds: Police recovered six live crude bombs along with bomb making materials from a house in Shyamoli of the capital today.
Police quoting witnesses said three people were injured when crude bombs exploded at around 3:00 pm while they were making bombs inside a multi-storey building at 27/3 of Shyamoli Road no-3 in Sher-e-Bangla police station.
Police also arrested one person from the house.
When contacted, Officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla police station Abdul Momin said police went to the spot on information soon after the explosion and recovered six live crude bombs and bomb making materials from the spot.
Police arrested one Abdul Hai, suspecting his involvement in the incident, he said.
We recovered a torn human finger from the spot. Three injured peoplefled the scene immediately after the explosion, the OC said, and adding police has been hunting for the three injured who were apparently making bombs.
INJURIES
A youth was seriously injured as a bomb hit his head at Shahbagh in the capital today.

The unidentified 25-year-old man was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and his condition is stated to be critical.

Hazrat Ali, a witness told The Daily Star that he heard a big sound and saw the youth lying in a pool of blood at Shahbagh intersection around 8:00pm.

Details of the incident could not be known immediately.
An unidentified 35-year-old man sustained blast injuries after a crude bomb went off at Katabon intersection around 11:00am.
Shahbagh police rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Police suspected that the man was carrying a bomb which went off suddenly.
Detail of the blast was not available immediately.
Meanwhile, Abdul Motalib, 35, a rickshaw-puller, was injured as a homemade bomb exploded near Padma Cinema Hall in Malibagh around 3:00pm.
Motalib who was on his way to Badda sustained injuries on his head and throat in the blast.
He was undergoing treatment at the DMCH.
TORCHING
A group of unidentified people torched a bus in front of the T&T Colony in Motijheel, the commercial hub of the capital, around 10:30am, fire service official said.
On information, firefighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
Detail of the incident however could not be known immediately.
Unidentified miscreants also torched a bus in Gulistan around 2:40pm and set fire to another at Kataban around 3:20pm, fire service officials confirmed.
The pro-hartal activists torched as bus near Purabi cinema hall in Mirpur around 7:30pm and another bus in Notun Bazar around 6:45pm.
Hartal supporters also torched two buses at Mirpur-12 and Mohakhali bus stand area around 7:45pm and 8:15pm respectively.
UNB adds: Criminals also set fire to three buses–one near BSTI office in Tejgaon around 11:45am, another in front of Abakash Hotel in Mohakhali around 2:00pm and a CNG-run three-wheelers at Malibagh Chowdhurypara about 1:55pm.
BLAST, PROCESSION
The pro-hartal activists brought out a brisk procession at Shahjadpur in Gulshan around 9:00am.
They also blasted four cocktails creating panic among the passersby in the area, said Rafiqul Islam, officer in-charge of Gulshan Police Station.
On information, law enforcers went to the spot and fired 11 shot guns to disperse the activists.
The criminals however made their way through different alleys before police could nab them, the police official said.
Media reports add: Jamaat-e-Islami men brought out a procession at Moghbazar this morning in support of the hartal.
They also blasted a handmade bomb there after the procession.