Cox's Bazar hartal progresses peacefully

A dawn-to-dusk hartal (shutdown) is progressing peacefully in Cox’s Bazar today.
The BNP-led 18-party combine enforced the hartal since 6:00am protesting the killings of two activists of BNP on Friday and three of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the main opposition party, on Tuesday, said Shamim Ara Swapna, BNP secretary of Cox's Bazar district unit.
In the morning, the pro-hartal activists brought out a procession and paraded different parts of the town, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent.
Educational institutions and offices remain opened while the shutters of the most of the shops are kept down in the town since morning.
No long distance bus left or entered the district during the hartal hours.
The 18-party announced today's hartal through a press release yesterday.
Earlier around 8:30pm Wednesday, hartal supporters burnt tyres at different key points of the town including Bazarghata and Laldighirpar.
On Friday, two activists of Jubo Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were killed and five others sustained bullet injuries when law enforcers opened fire on a BNP procession brought out in Chakaria upazila violating a ban on political programmes.
Three Jamaat men were killed and seven policemen injured in a clash with law enforcers at South Dhurong Bazar on the last day of 60-hour hartal Tuesday.