Dhaka, Sep 10 (DPA) Life came to a near standstill in the Bangladesh capital and three other cities across Sunday as transport, banking and ports were disrupted by a dawn-to-dusk shutdown.

The strike was enforced by the opposition's united front of 14 parties led by the Awami League to protest against alleged police brutalities during an anti-government demonstration here four days ago.

The strike, which also partially crippled the southern business hub of Chittagong, followed a night of street violence that left buses in flames and forced shops to close.

A spokesman said the government deployed over 10,000 additional police and paramilitary border troops as security was beefed up amid fears of widespread violence during the strike.

The strike also left thousands of commuters stranded at ferry stations and bus terminals Sunday, a normal working day in the Muslim country.