DHAKA, Bangladesh
Bangladesh's largest Islamist party called a day-long general strike on Thursday in response to the death penalty handed to its leader Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami for attempted arms smuggling last week.
Activists and supporters of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami were protesting after 14 people, including Nizami, were found guilty of trying to supply weapons to Indian separatist group United Liberation Front of Asom in 2004.
Activists from Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing, Islami Chatra Shibir, used molotov cocktails in the eastern part of Dhaka on Thursday morning.
Traffic was significantly restricted and schools, colleges, religious schools and universities were closed across Bangladesh. Shops were also closed until sunset.
"The General strike is not right and its impacts are bared by ordinary people," said Abdus Salaam Mridha, 35, a taxi driver.
He said that while the strike had not significantly unsettled the city, there were fewer people trying to travel during the day.
Businessman Shahidul Islam Sarker said the strike "is the democratic right of the people and any political party. So government should allow observing the general strike. On the other hand activists of the general strike cannot create any anarchy in the name of any political program."
Another businessman, K M Ali agreed: "But the people’s right to observe the general strike has been snatched by the ruling government."
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