Four die as opposition activists clash with police

Dhaka: At least four people were killed and nearly 100 others injured as clashes erupted in different parts of Bangladesh when the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists tried to stage street protests defying an overnight police ban.

Witnesses and reports said an opposition activist was shot dead in southeastern Laxmipur and two rickshaw-pullers, one of them reportedly an activist, were killed in neighbouring Chandpur district as clashes erupted between police on the one hand and activists of BNP and their fundamentalist ally Jamaat-e-Islami on the other.

The fourth death was also reported from Laxmipur, where an injured activist succumbed to his wounds later at a hospital.

Reports said police used guns, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse opposition activists who defied an overnight police ban on rallies and protest marches. At least ten people were reportedly undergoing treatment for bullet wounds.

Retaliation

The opposition activists retaliated with brickbats and bamboo sticks injuring several policemen and setting ablaze several police vehicles. The police ban came as the ruling Awami League planned to stage identical rallies in the capital coinciding with the BNP's country-wide protests yesterday as part of their campaign demanding restoration of the interim caretaker government system for poll oversight.