Over 10,000 police, paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel encircled an area of several square kilometres around the PMO causing a long vehicular tailback on some of the roads. Police put up barricades at Mohakhali rail crossing, Farmgate, Mohakhali flyover, Moghbazar, Bangla Motor, Shyamoli, Asad Gate, Panthapath, Russell Square, Dhanmondi Road No 27, Rokeya Sarani intersection and Bijoy Sarani intersection clogging traffic during the rush hours of the day.

People who came out from their houses in the morning were seen walking to their destinations while many had to wait for a long time to get public transports.

"Oh God, what should I do now, I have to go to Al-Raji Hospital within an hour", a little boy, who was carrying food for his sick brother, told this correspondent at Mohakhali, as public transports were barred from running in the area at the moment.

"Now how will I go to Farmgate?" he asked before he started walking towards Farmgate.

"After remaining stranded for over an hour in front of the Army Stadium, I got off the bus and walked to Banani to attend my office," said a commuter.

Thousands of city-dwellers were seen waiting for hours at different intersections including Shahbagh, Malibagh, Mouchak, Maghbazar, and New Market for buses.

"I got on a bus at the airport bus stop at 9:00am, but arrived in my office at Malibagh at 11:00am, as I had to get off the bus at Badda because we got stuck in a traffic jam," said another commuter Mahfuzur Rahman.

Many people were seen crossing the troubled areas in Mirpur on foot while trying to hail public transports, which were plying on Mirpur Road via Mirpur 1.

"I was in a hurry to go to Dhanmondi but could not. I had to wait for an hour and a half at Mirpur 10 intersection due to shortage of public transports," said Shafiq, an official of a real estate company.

Rickshaw pullers and drivers of CNG-run three wheelers were demanding high fares prompting the commuters to get locked in bargaining squabbles with them in which the commuters had to ultimately give in to the transport operators' demands.

"I was coming to Farmgate from Shahbagh. Finding no bus, I looked for a rickshaw, but none of the rickshaw pullers agreed to come. After waiting for almost an hour, I started walking towards Farmgate," said Shahid, a student.