Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Mohammad Sajjat Ali on Sunday instructed police to open fire on individuals involved in arson attacks or throwing crude bombs at vehicles.
The directive came amid heightened security surrounding the verdict in a case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed in four districts, including Dhaka and Gopalganj, to maintain order.
In a wireless message on Sunday afternoon, the DMP chief ordered officers to shoot anyone attempting to set vehicles on fire or hurl crude bombs. 
“If anyone tries to kill people by throwing cocktails or torching vehicles, they will be shot to protect lives,” he said.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said law enforcement agencies were prepared to prevent any “destructive activities.” 
Speaking to journalists in Barishal after a meeting with senior police and field administration officials, he said the government would enforce whichever verdict is delivered.
Tension mounted after the ousted Awami League announced a “lockdown” for Sunday and Monday through its social media channels. Between Sunday midnight and early morning, an ambulance and four buses were set on fire, and petrol bombs were thrown at several Grameen Bank branches across the country.
Earlier, the party declared a Dhaka lockdown on 13 November, followed by protest programmes from 14-15 November. At least 17 vehicles, including a train, were set ablaze during that period, leaving one bus driver dead.
In a press release, BGB confirmed its deployment in Dhaka, Madaripur, Gopalganj and Faridpur to stabilise the law-and-order situation. During the 13 October lockdown, protesters blocked at least five points along the 28-kilometre Faridpur-Shariatpur highway, disrupting traffic, though movement elsewhere remained unaffected.
Cocktail blasts in Dhaka
On Sunday evening, crude bombs exploded in Jatrabari’s Jurain area and at Karwan Bazar. Police said one device exploded near Hotel Sonargaon around 8pm, while three others went off in front of a market in Jurain. No casualties were reported. 

RAB arrests one with petrol bombs
RAB detained a man with six petrol bombs during a special operation at Basila Garden City in Mohammadpur around 7pm. The detainee, Md Ferdous alias Bark alias Omar Ali, is accused in several criminal cases, including murder. RAB recovered six petrol bombs, a samurai sword, a gas lighter and a mobile phone, and said he had planned attacks on key establishments in Mohammadpur.
DB arrests 10 AL activists
The Detective Branch (DB) of DMP arrested 10 Awami League leaders and activists from different parts of the capital over the past 24 hours, from Saturday to Sunday noon. Police said they were involved in organising and financing sudden processions in Dhaka. They were picked up from Gulshan, Kalabagan, Khilgaon, Vatara, Rampura and Tejgaon. Legal action is underway.