The BNP-led opposition alliance has called a countrywide hartal from 6 am to 1 pm today to protest police atrocity and atiack on its leaders and activists without any provocation and foiling its joint public rally and procession in the city on Sunday

The alliance had earlier withdrawn a scheduled dawn-to-dusk hartal on Sunday on grounds of outbreak of Dengue (ever In the city and different parts of the country. Then it planned to hold a Joint rally in front d BNP central office at Naya Paltan and bring out a procession on the day to protest the government's 'failure to check' the dreaded disease. But police attacked the rally shortly after it began and foiled it.

Components of the four-party alliance — BNP. Jatiya Party. Jamaat-e-Islami and Islam! Oikya Jote — staged demonstrations separately at all thana headquarters and brought out processions yesterday in support of the hartal.

Hospitals, food shops, kitchen markets, medicine shops, newspaper offices, ambulance. vehicles carrying journalists, law enforcing agencies, fire brigade, utility services like water, electricity and gas services have been exempted from the purview of hartal, the alliance said.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has called upon the people from all walks ol life to observe today's hartal.

In a statement yesterday, she said the hartal was called to protest police attack on a joint rally and procession of the opposition alliance at Naya Pal-tan in the city on Sunday

She said the alliance organised the rally to protest government's failure to eradicate aedes mosquitoes and check the dreaded dengue disease But police foiled the programme by firing tear gas shells, rubber bullets and resorting to lathi charge that left over 100 in-|ureo.

The Leader of the Opposition In Parliament said the outbreak of dengue fever has taken a serious turn and more than 100 people have so far died of llils disease.

She called upon the people to remain alert against AL conspiracy and make today s hartal a success.