A daylong hartal enforced by the Awami League (AL) passed off peacefully in the city yesterday.

The hartal was called to protest Saturday's murder of city Awami League leader Kamrul Islam Kutu.

Rickshaws plied on some roads after 11:00am, but all other vehicles including passenger buses, trucks and river vessels responded to the hartal call. All shops, schools, colleges and Khulna University remained closed. There were no transactions in the state-owned and commercial banks and other financial institutions.

Production in Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills and Crescent Jute Mills remained suspended during the hartal hours.

Processions brought out at

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Khalishpur and Daulatpur by the AL and its front organisations demanded arrest of the killers of Kutu and Monzurul Imam, Khulna city AL president.

Police, Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and the BDR were deployed at different points in the city to avert clashes.

At a party meeting, AL leaders demanded immediate arrest of the killers of Imam, Advocate Bijon Bihari Mondol, Kutu and rickshawpuller Shaheed, who died in the bomb blast that also killed Imam.

Expressing grave concern over the persistent lawlessness and killings of party leaders, the speakers at the meeting warned the government of an all-out movement if the killers were not brought to justice.

The AL leaders strongly condemned the failure of police to catch the man who launched the bomb attack on the AL office on Saturday.

They also criticised the police inability to arrange security for the top city AL leaders.

Security has been beefed up in the metropolitan city with deployment of the BDR and APBn.

Meanwhile, Sub-Inspector Hasan Hafizur, investigation officer (IO) of the Kutu murder case, prayed for five days' remand at a court yesterday for Shagor, who was known as 'Bomaru Shagor' picked up on Saturday midnight as a suspect.

But there has so far been little progress in the investigation into the murder. The IO said they had some clues that they were working on, but declined to give details.

Meanwhile, the condition of Pallab, former general secretary of Dakop upazila unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League leader Saiful Islam deteriorated yesterday. They are undergoing treatment for multiple injuries caused by splinters during Saturday's blast. Doctors have advised better treatment abroad for Pallab and Saiful, sources said.

The border outposts of the BDR in Satkhira district have been put on red alert following the recent murders in Khulna. Combing operations led by the BDR and police are also on to arrest the listed criminals. All transports operating on the Khulna-Satkhira route are being checked.