Dhaka, Jan 23 (UNB) - Capital market investors called their Tuesday's dawn-to-dusk hartal off following an assurance by the police administration that their arrested fellow-investors would be released. 

The general investors under the banner of ‘Bangladesh Capital Market Investors Unity Council’ announced the hartal programme from a demonstration in front of the DSE building on Monday afternoon to press home their 11-point demand, including stabilisation of the convulsing market.

"We've withdrawn our hartal programme following the assurance," said a Council leader on Monday night. Earlier, they said police picked up eight protesters while chanting slogans in support of the hartal.

Council president Mizan-ur-Rashid Chowdhury had told reporters that the areas stretching from Inttefaq intersection-Dainik Bangla Intersection-Dilkusha Commercial Area and Notre Dem College would come under the purview of their daylong hartal.

Earlier, the angry retail investors staged demonstrations in front of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) building against the free fall in share prices and support of their demands. They also brought out a procession carrying the symbolic body of an investor during the protest.

The demands include announcement of a stockmarket-friendly monetary policy, suspension of trading until proper steps are taken, compensation for the affected investors and full implementation of the market stabilisation market declared for the share market investors.

Traffic movement on the road from Shapla Chattar to Ittefaq intersection came to a halt four hours due to the demonstrations.

The investors chanted slogans against the Finance Minister and the Bangladesh Bank Governor, and demanded immediate measures to stabilise the market.

Additional police were deployed in the area to avert any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, stocks in the country’s premier bourse--Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)-plunged further today.

The benchmark general index of the DSE - DGEN - came down to 4638.61 losing 1.51 percent or 71.29 points after the end of four-day trading. The key index, however, lost over 98 points or 2.09 percent in the first two hours’ trading, triggering the street protests by the investors.

Of the issues traded in the DSE, 63 gained, 178 suffered losses and 16 remained unchanged.

The single-day turnover of the DSE was Tk 233 crore or Tk 2339.915 million today.

Similarly, Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also saw the big fall on the day and the CSE key index - CSCX - lost 168.50 points today as against the loss of 338.27 points on Sunday.

Of the issues traded at the CSE, 26 gained, 144 suffered losses and 9 remained unchanged.

The CSE turnover was Tk 35.72 crore or Tk 357,245,680.

On Sunday, the country’s twin bourses - Dhaka and Chittagong - suffered a massive fall, losing almost all the gains it made through a dramatic turn in the previous session on Thursday.

The benchmark general index of the DSE - DGEN - plunged 236.58 points or 4.78 percent to close at 4709.91 on Sunday while it gained 250.92 or 5.34 percent on Thursday.

Similarly, Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also saw the big fall on the day and the CSE key index - CSCX - lost 338.27 points as against the gain of 381.46 points on Thursday.