2 killed, 300 injured in Bangladesh during opposition's blockade program

Two people were killed and over 300 people wounded in clashes between the police and opposition activists in the capital and elsewhere in Bangladesh during a countrywide opposition-sponsored road-rail-waterway blockade Sunday.

According to private news agency UNB, an opposition worker Golam Mostafa Milan died during a clash with police at about 10:30 a.m.(04:30 GMT) in the capital Dhaka.

His party sources claimed he succumbed to his rubber-bullet wounds, as police fired a barrage of teargas shells and rubber bullets at different places to contain violence.

Police Sub-Inspector Abul Bashar, who suffered serious head injuries from brickbats, died in Narayanganj district, about 20 km southeast of Dhaka.

Abul Bashar suffered the injuries during massive clashes between police and opposition workers on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The Awami League-led 14-party opposition combine enforced the countrywide siege to the road, rail and water routes to press their demand for reform of the caretaker government and the election commission for ensuring a fair election at the upcoming polls.

The six-hour blockade, enforced across the country from 9 a.m.( 03:00 GMT), also demanded resignation of the three-member election commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice MA Aziz for his controversial role, especially in preparing a new voter list.

In Dhaka city, police and opposition activists fought pitched battles at different areas from 10 a.m. (04:00 GMT). The activists damaged a number of passing vehicles and hurled brickbat missiles at police during the sporadic clashes.

The blockade cut off road-rail networks across the country.

A Railway official was quoted as saying that train communications in different regions were disrupted as the activists put up barricades at different stations.

Most schools, shops, business centers and private offices in the capital were closed and the situation gave the look of a hartal. Traffic movement in the capital was also disrupted as most buses trucks and private cars went off the streets fearing trouble.

The authorities deployed more than 6,000 riot police, armed battalion and Bangladesh Rifle personnel to maintain order during the opposition program.

Source: Xinhua