General strike cripples Bangladesh's main cities

Monday’s strike comes a day after a student was killed and 25 other protesters were injured during a violent clash between the strike’s supporters and police in western Bangladesh

Schools and businesses in Bangladesh’s main cities are shut as a hard—line Islamic group enforces a nationwide strike demanding the installation of Islamic law and the scrapping of a new government policy ensuring women’s equal right to inheritance.

Traffic is light on the usually clogged streets of the capital, Dhaka, and has also been disrupted in other major cities.

Monday’s strike comes a day after a student was killed and 25 other protesters were injured during a violent clash between the strike’s supporters and police in western Bangladesh.

Despite being governed by secular laws, Bangladesh follows Islamic law in family—related matters, including marriage and inheritance.