DHAKA, 24 April 2006 — Nearly 150 people were injured in Bangladesh yesterday when police used batons and fired tear gas shells to disperse activists during an opposition-sponsored strike, witnesses said. The strike shut most transport, offices, schools and business across the country. Sunday is a working day in Bangladesh.
The 14-party opposition alliance, led by the Awami League, announced a fresh plan to shut down Dhaka on May 21 to press the government to accept their proposals for electoral reform.
The opposition also plans to besiege electricity offices across the country on April 30 to protest frequent power outages.
“The plan aims at forcing the government to step down,” Awami League presidium member Abdur Razzak told reporters.
Razzak spoke after he chaired a meeting of the 14-party alliance in Dhaka yesterday.
Violence was reported yesterday from half a dozen districts including Narayangaj, 20 kilometers from capital Dhaka, where stone-throwing activists fought pitched battles with police, burned tires and damaged nearly 40 vehicles during the second general strike in three days, witnesses said. Police detained dozens of protesters, they said.
More than 100 people were injured, during Thursday’s countrywide strike, according to officials and witnesses.
The opposition alliance called the strikes to press the government to accept demands for electoral reforms, improve law and order, reduce prices and improve supplies of electricity and diesel.
“If they are unable, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia should resign or face tougher protests on the streets,” Hasina told a party meeting late on Saturday.
“We are keeping our fight on ... fight for flawless democracy, justice and end to tortures of political rivals,” senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta said yesterday. Prime Minister Khaleda has said she would not give up power until the last day of her five-year tenure and asked Hasina to face her in the next parliamentary election in January 2007.
