DHAKA: The countrywide hartal called by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami protesting International Crimes Tribunal’s death penalty to party’s assistant secretary general ATM Azharul Islam began on Wednesday morning.

The shutdown began at 6:00am to and it would end at 5:30pm. 

Party’s acting Ameer Mokbul Ahmed made the hartal declaration for Wednesday and Thursday after the ICT passed verdict on Tuesday noon.

Border Guard Bangladesh officials said BGB personnel been deployed in the major points across the country to maintain law-and-order.

However, ambulances, vehicles carrying dead bodies, fire services and the media will be kept out of the purview of the hartal, said a statement from Jamaat.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, some miscreants torched a private car in Dainik Bangla Intersection of the city ahead of hartal called by Jammat-e-Islami protesting death penalty to ATM Azharul.

Witnesses said some hartal supporters, chanting ‘hartal hartal’, brought out a procession in the area and torched a car with petrol around 6:50pm that created panic in the area.

ICT-1 awarded death penalty to ATM Azharul Islam for crimes against humanity and other offences during 1971 Liberation War.

A three-member judge panel led by Justice Enayetur Rahim awarded the capital punishment. 

BDST: 0605 HRS, DEC 31, 2014