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Bangladesh police, opposition clash, 50 injured
12 Mar 2006 13:56:04 GMT
Source: Reuters
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(Adds call for fresh protests, strike) DHAKA, March 12 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were injured
in the Bangladeshi capital on Sunday in clashes between police
and opposition activists during a demonstration for electoral
reforms, police and witnesses said. The clashes erupted as hundreds of opposition workers pushed
through a police barricade and marched to the election
commission's office, demanding the resignation of the election
commissioner, who they said was biased. Police fired tear gas shells and used water canons to break
up the protest, launched by a 14-party alliance led by former
prime minister Sheikh Hasina to compel the government to make
the election commission more independent before elections next
year. Police said at least 20 opposition workers were detained
after they burnt a bus and damaged vehicles during the protest
on Sunday, which is a working day in Muslim Bangladesh. Traffic resumed on the streets after opposition activists
left the scene, and hundreds of police in riot gear stood guard
outside key government buildings, a police officer said later. In protest against police action, the opposition has called
for a fresh countrywide protest on Tuesday, to be preceded by an
eight-hour nationwide strike from 6 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Monday. Awami Juba League, the youth front of Awami League, called
for the strike earlier on Saturday, to protest against price
hikes of commodities and short supply of utilities. Opposition leaders said they had planned a peaceful protest
and blamed the authorities for the violence. "It is an unprovoked attack on a peaceful march. A number of
senior leaders of our party have been injured," Tofael Ahmed, a
leader of the main opposition Awami League, said. Political analysts say the year to the polls is likely to
see a surge in violence between rival parties, as Hasina warned
she might boycott -- or even try to resist -- the election
unless Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia met her demands for
electoral reforms.
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