Over 100 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists were also picked up from different parts of the country ahead of the general strike.
The two major opposition parties on Wednesday called the countrywide general strike for Sunday in protest against the government move to annul the caretaker government system. It is the fifth shutdown being enforced by BNP P since the Awami League-led alliance came to power on Jan 6, 2009.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday that the provision for caretaker government could not be retained in the constitution after the Supreme Court had declared it void. Vehicular movement on the roads in the capital was thin since the beginning of the lockdown at 6am.
No buses left for their destinations outside Dhaka from the inter-district bus terminals until 10am.
The authorities, however, said rail and air traffic was as usual.
BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of their Naya Paltan head office, but they were kept encircled by police.
The party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, joint secretaries general Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, publicity secretary and opposition chip whip Zainul Abdin Farroque and city unit member secretary Abdus Salam were among the front-ranking leaders.
They alleged that police were obstructing their activists to come to the party headquarters and arresting those who were trying to break the obstructions.
At least 30 activists were arrested from Naya Paltan area until 8:45am, they claimed.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia at news briefing on Saturday said the hartal had been called for the sake of the country and its people.
She also vowed to give non-stop programmes if the government did not give up its plan to repeal the non-party government system.
The government, however, claimed that the general strike was called to create anarchy in the country.
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