The Left Democratic Alliance has brought out processions in parts of Dhaka to begin a hartal over a record hike in fuel prices that increased transport fares as a ripple effect.
The alliance is enforcing a nationwide hartal from 6 am to 12 pm on Thursday.
The protesters brought out small processions starting at 6 am, but did not disrupt traffic, he said.
Police arrested four activists of the leftist alliance for vandalising a minibus at the Paltan intersection around 10.45 pm on Wednesday, said Md Salahuddin Mia, chief of Paltan Model Police Station.
The four arrestees were detained at the police station and the authorities were yet to make a decision about them.
The public transport was running unhindered on Thursday morning. Private cars moved normally through Shahbagh as well.
Police tightened security at the Palashi intersection and Shahbagh.
A group of 25 to 30 people supporting the hartal marched from the Dhaka University campus to Aziz Super Market via Shahbagh, a popular square for student protests.
As the war in Ukraine made oil more expensive in the international market, Bangladesh responded by raising fuel prices as much as 52 per cent to meet the additional costs. The government shut power generation using diesel and introduced rolling power outages to conserve power. The authorities also increased bus fares by as much as 22 per cent.
