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500 hurt in Dhaka stir Indo-Asian News Service
DHAKA, Nov. 12: Hundreds of protesters were injured and many were missing today as political violence flared up across Bangladesh on the first day of an Opposition-sponsored indefinite blockade of Dhaka, cutting off the capital from the rest of the country. Trains were set on fire, buses stoned and ferry services disrupted as riot police shooting tear gas and rubber bullets battled with protesters in the capital, officials and witnesses said. Witnesses claimed some 500 people were injured in clashes with police in cities and big towns. Opposition parties said more than 1,000 activists were arrested by security forces during the weekend. Official figures on detainees were not available. At least six people were reported missing after the clashes. Nearly 20 people were injured as an inter-city train came under attack by protesters in Tongi town near Dhaka, a spokesman for the state-run railways said. Ports and factories in the southern business hub of Chittagong were also shut down. Earlier, the country’s caretaker government banned rallies and protests in Dhaka as more than 15,000 security forces were called out ahead of an Opposition plan to impose an indefinite blockade. Restrictions on the movement of people were also enforced as the Awami League-led opposition combine warned of reprisal attacks if their peaceful protests were foiled.
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