The BNP-led 20-party alliance today extended its countrywide ongoing hartal till 6:00am Friday protesting what it said the killings of opposition leaders and activists in the name of crossfire and the false cases filed against alliance leaders.

The announcement was made this afternoon through a press release floated to the media by BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed.

In the statement, the BNP leader has accused the government of turning the country into a death valley and said it wants to prolong its misrules intending to hang on to power.

The law enforcement agencies are picking up opposition men from their houses and killing them. They are also dumping the bodies on farmlands, water bodies and others places ignoring accountability, he blamed.

Referring to the media reports over the death incidents of six people in Dhaka’s Mirpur and Jhenaidah, he termed the incident as genocide and said the responsible people will be booked for trial if the situation is changed.

He said the leaders and activists of 20-party alliance will hold agitation precessions at all districts, upazilas, municipalities and ward level headquarters of divisional cities across the country on February 26 to meet the party’s demands.