Normal life has been affected in Bangladesh for the second day today as the 48 hour non stop countrywide strike called by the main opposition party the BNP and its allies is underway. The BNP and its allies called a 48-hour general strike protesting the scrapping of the caretaker government system through the 15th amendment to the constitution. Most of the shops and business establishments and shops remain closed while traffic on the roads is also minimal. The first day of the hartal was marked by clashes between activists of the BNP and security personnel with the police having to resort to lathi charge in some places to disperse the picketers. The opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque was severely injured in clashes with police while several hundred activists of the BNP and its allies have been arrested. BNP Leader Khaleda Zia has criticized the action of the law enforcers against the party leaders and activists. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has criticized the BNP for organizing the hartal and said that the hartal is in no way aimed at protecting the interest of people, but at protecting a corruption-tainted family and suspected war criminals.