At least 197 incidents (of which 185 were vehicles and 15 infrastructures) of arson have taken place in the country in the last 23 days, said the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, at least five firement were injured in the country during this time, Fire Service and Civil Defence said.

Fire Service said at least 118 buses, 26 trucks, 13 covered vans, three microbus, two private vehicles, eight motorbikes, three pickups, three CNG-run autorickshaws, and an ambulance were burned during this time.

According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the anarchy incidents occurred in 34 districts, with Gazipur on top of the list.

Angry mobs also set fire to one police vehicle, one fire service vehicle, five BNP offices, one Awami League office, one police box, one councillor's office, two electricity offices, one bus counter and two showrooms during the 16 days since 28 October.

While most of the anarchy incidents occurred in areas under the two Dhaka city corporations, the Fire Service says it did not receive any such report in 30 districts.

On 28 October, both the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami called rallies in the capital which were marred by violence.

Many vehicles were torched and two people were left dead, including a police constable.

There was also an attack on the residence of the chief justice, aside from vandalism at a police hospital.

The rallies – called to push home both the parties' demands of ensuring a polls' time government – took a violent turn soon after it began.

Clashes with AL partymen and police took place in different areas of the capital.

Midway into BNP's rally, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir suspended the programme and declared a hartal the next day, alleging a police crackdown at their event.

Fakhrul was arrested the next day over the attacks on police the day earlier, alongside hundreds of BNP activists.

The arrest was met by BNP's announcement of a three-day blockade, starting 31 October.

The next day, Jamaat-e-Islami also announced an identical blockage programme.

On Tuesday, BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas and Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal were both arrested over the charges of killing a police constable and carrying out atrocities in the city during the BNP's grand rally on Saturday.

Since then there have been consecutive blockades and hartals by the opposition parties.