The AL, 11-party combine and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) enforced a 60-hour hartal from Saturday last and 12-hour hartal on Thursday for the same reason. But this time the AL and JSD will enforce the 36-hour hartal.

The pro-hartal pickets yesterday set fire to two minibuses--one on the Bangabandhu Avenue at about 2:00pm and the other near Court Building in Old Dhaka at about 7:50pm. Another vehicle was also set ablaze in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at the same time.

Ambulances, newspaper vehicles, drug stores, garbage carrying vehicles and other emergency vehicles will remain out of the purview of hartal.

UNB adds: In a bid to identify the 'miscreants' during hartal, police will use a number of cameras.

"We took some steps, including examination of video footages, to identify the miscreants involved in street vandalism," DMP commissioner Mizanur Rahman told the news agency yesterday.

Plainclothes police have been deployed in various parts of the city to closely monitor the movement of suspected elements.

"We can't sit idle when miscreants are setting fire to vehicles and injuring the innocent passengers in the name of political activities," said the DMP commissioner.

He said no vandalism on the streets will be tolerated and police have been asked to ensure the safety and security of life and property of the people by any means.

About 8,000 police and paramilitary BDR men have been deployed in the capital. Instructions have also been sent to the police superintendents to maintain law and order during hartal.