Left alliance's half-day hartal begins

The Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) is observing a half-day strike today across the country protesting the price hike of daily essentials commodities.

On Monday (28 March) morning, the LDA strike supporters staged a procession at Dhaka University's TSC area and adjacent Shahbag.

The LDA, a coalition of eight left-leaning political parties, called for the half-day hartal on 28 March protesting the price hike of daily essentials commodities

"We can't accept this abnormal rise in commodity prices, the lower and middle-class people have their back leaning against the wall, so we are staging a movement on the streets," Shovon Rahman, general secretary of the Socialist Students' said.

The strikers later blocked the roads near Shahbag.

They also took out a procession in the capital's Paltan area and blocked roads.