Bangladesh: Political violence grips country as election looms

BBC News:

Weeks of mounting political tension have erupted into protests and bloodshed in Bangladesh, leaving the country on edge ahead of general elections due in January.

Several senior opposition leaders were arrested last Sunday, a day after a massive rally against the government turned violent, resulting in the deaths of at least two opposition supporters.

The rejuvenated main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has intensified protests calling on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

The BNP and its allies want a neutral interim government ahead of the general elections, arguing that free and fair polls are not possible under Ms Hasina. The government led by her Awami League has rejected this demand.

The BNP rally in the capital Dhaka attracted tens of thousands of people – one of the biggest gatherings seen there in a decade.

But things soon turned violent.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas while opposition supporters threw stones and bricks. Some roads in the capital resembled a war zone, strewn with exploded sound grenades, tear gas shells and broken glass.

Both sides accuse each other of starting the violence.

“The opposition supporters attacked police, journalists, hospitals, ambulances and the houses of the chief justice and other judges, creating chaos,” Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told the BBC.

The BNP said it was the other way round.

“It was a peaceful and non-violent rally, but the government was baffled by the massive turn out. So, they decided to disrupt the meeting,” senior party leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told the BBC.

“The rally was attacked from two sides. It resembled a war zone. So, we had to stop our public meeting midway.”

The governing Awami League rejects accusations that their supporters provoked opposition activists taking part in the rally.

A three-day nationwide blockade called by the BNP to protest against the police action began on Tuesday.

Protesters have set fire to buses and clashed with security forces in several places. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. Two opposition activists were killed in clashes with police on Tuesday. Most vehicles have stayed off the roads fearing violence.

Political unrest is not uncommon in Bangladesh. Over the years parties have taken to the streets to press their demands, resulting in shutdowns, violence and loss of life.

But in recent years the political divide has been widening and the bitterness growing, with the Awami League midway through a second decade in office and seeking a fourth straight five-year term. The two main parties are in no mood to compromise and the chances of dialogue ahead of the vote appear