DHAKA: Thousands took to the streets here Sunday (Dec 26) as the opposition called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike denouncing the government move to hike fuel price.

Protestors forced traffic to remain off the roads and shopping malls to keep their shutters down. Thousands of police were deployed on the streets.

The youth wing of the main opposition Awami League party enforced the strike supported by several transport unions.

Schools and private offices were closed and business activities were severally disrupted as inter-district buses and trucks could not move.

Police clashed with the pickets in many places, including in Dhaka, and detained many opposition supporters.

The government last week raised the price of diesel and kerosene by 15 percent to compensate for soaring prices of petroleum products in the international market.

Economists said the price hike would greatly affect farmers as they were largely dependent on diesel and kerosene for irrigation and other purposes.

Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service