The first day of the ninth spell of the nationwide 48-hour road, rail, and waterways blockade, enforced by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and like-minded opposition parties, is underway amid arson attacks.

The blockade started at 6am on Sunday and will end at 6am on Tuesday.

3:25pm/Bus torched in Dhaka

Miscreatns set fire to a bus of Victor Classic Paribahan under the Phulbaria flyover in the capital this afternoon.

Firefighters were alerted to the incident at 2:52pm and reached the spot at 2:57pm, according to the media cell of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Two units from Siddikbazar fire station doused the fire at 3:08pm, it added.

12:40pm/Driver burnt after truck set on fire in Gazipur

The driver of a truck sustained burn injuries after his vehicle was set on fire by miscreants in Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila in the early hours of Sunday.

The driver, whose identity could not be known immediately, was taken to Kaliakair Upazila Health Complex after locals rescued him and his assistant from the burning truck, reports UNB.

Station Officer of Kaliakair Fire Service and Civil Defence Iftekhar Chowdhury said miscreants set fire to the truck on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway around 5:30am.

“Fire engulfed the truck within moments. The driver and his assistant narrowly escaped, but the driver sustained burn injuries,” he said.

On information, three units of fire service rushed to the spot and doused the fire, added Iftekhar.

Meanwhile, picketers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Sreepur upazila of the district to disrupt vehicular movement. Some vehicles were vandalised during the incident.

Swechchhasebak Dal leaders and activists brought out a procession in the C&B Bazar area of Sreepur upazila in support of the blockade.

11:35am/Truck torched in Naogaon

Miscreants set fire to a truck that was parked beside a road in Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon on Saturday night.

The truck was set on fire around 10:30pm and locals doused it before a firefighting unit reached the spot, said Ashraful Islam of Mohadevpur fire service.

10:25am/Two buses set ablaze in Dhaka

Two buses were torched in the capital on Saturday night ahead of the 48-hour countrywide blockade.

In Gabtoli, a bus of “Padma Line” was set on fire at 11:09pm, and two firefighting units from Kallyanpur fire station rushed to the spot and doused the fire, said Shahjahan Sikder, deputy assistant director at the Fire Service and Civil Defense headquarters (media cell).

In Agargaon, a bus of “Bhuyan Paribahan” was also torched in front of Betar Building at 11pm, he said.

Two firefighting units from Mohammadpur fire station rushed to the spot immediately and doused the fire.

In the capital, BNP leaders and activists led by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi brought out a procession this morning in support of their blockade. They marched from Kakrail to the Shantinagar intersection.

The presence of public transport was higher compared to other blockade days despite tension and fear of violence.

Law enforcement agencies have already heightened security across the country. The police have taken up positions and set up checkpoints at the entrances and all major locations in Dhaka.

A total of 162 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and 435 patrol teams of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed across the country to maintain law and order.