JU bus torched ahead of hartal

A bus was torched inside Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus early today ahead of the kick-off to BNP-led 20-party alliance’s fresh spell of hartal.

A parked university bus was set alight in Transport area around 4:30am, our JU correspondent reports quoting Jefrul Ahmed Sajal, a security official of the campus.

“Ansar members doused flames. However, the bus has been gutted,” he said.

The yet another spell of fresh hartal, sponsored demanding “release of its arrested leaders including BNP Joint General Secretary Salahuddin Ahmed,” began from 6:00am today and will continue for 72 hours.

The alliance has been enforcing the countrywide hartal on all working days since February 1 on top of its indefinite blockade from January 6.

The worst victims of the shutdowns have been 1.5 million candidates of SSC and equivalent exams. The hartals left exam schedules in tatters and forced students to sit for their exams on Fridays and Saturdays only.