DHAKA: The hartal that extended by BNP-led 20-party alliance is underway across the country on Wednesday amid stray incidents of violence.

Earlier, the alliance, which has been observing a 72-hour countrywide hartal, beginning from Sunday morning, expanded the shutdown till 6:00pm Thursday (February 5).

In city, a youth sustained bullet injuries in a police firing while fleeing the spot after hurling cocktails at Amtola in Shahjahanpur area at 6:00am.

In Khulna, pickets hurled three cocktails at Dhaka-bound bus of Sohag Paribahan in Daulatpur area of the city around 10:15 pm Tuesday, leaving four people, including its driver and supervisor, injured.

On Tuesday, BNP joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, through a press statement, announced that the alliance-enforced hartal was extended till Thursday evening protesting the mass killing by joint forces, indiscriminate murder, kidnaps, attacks and mass arrest of 20-party alliance men.

The shutdown was also extended protesting attacks on journalists and repression on media, government’s interference on judiciary stem, false cases against BNP-led 20-party alliance leaders, including BNP chairperson and prominent citizens.

Meanwhile, a road-water-railway blockade for indefinite period has been underway since BNP enforced the blockaded on January 5, protesting its chairperson Khaleda Zia’s confinement to her Gulshan office in the city.

BDST: 0833 HRS, FEB 04, 2015