Two BNP men shot dead in Noakhali

Violence continues unabated across Bangladesh, with reports streaming in of at least two workers of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) being killed in Noakhali.

The dead persons have been identified as Mohammad Rubel, 28, and Mohammad Mohsin, 29. Both were activists of the BNP's youth wing-the Jubo Dal.

According to the Daily Star, a bus and several other vehicles were torched on Wednesday in both Dhaka and Noakhali.

The bus was burnt on a street in front of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka.

The paper said that scores of people have also been injured during the non-stop countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP and its allies.

Road communication across the country continues to be affected by the blockade. Train and launch services are said to be normal.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia called for the blockade on Monday after she was barred from attending a rally to observe "Democracy Killing Day" on the first anniversary of January 5 polls that her party had boycotted.