Dhaka, May 18: The usually bustling streets of the Bangladeshi capital wore a deserted look Wednesday as opposition Awami League enforced a daylong strike protesting the killing of a party leader.

All schools, colleges, universities, shops and private offices were shut down while motor vehicles went off the roads in the city of more than 10 million people.

The party had called a daylong general strike to protest the gunning down of Khorshed Alam Bachchu, a lawyer who was legal affairs secretary of the Dhaka city Awami League, from a close range when he was going to court Tuesday.

Awami League chief and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina blamed the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for the killing and said, "The murder is a part of a blue-print of the ruling party to eliminate Awami League leaders."

In the past year, deadly attacks on opposition leaders killed many, including former finance minister Shah A.M.S. Kibria, lawmaker Ahsanullah Master and central leader Ivy Rahman.

The government has, however, said it is doing everything it can to hunt down the killers.

Hundreds of pro-Awami League activists took to the streets and demonstrated against the killing, but no major violence was reported from anywhere in the city.

A huge contingent of police guarded the city to ward off violence, police said.

Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service