Bangladesh police arrests senior Oppn leader after deadly violence ahead of general elections

DHAKA: Bangladesh police on Sunday arrested a senior leader of the Opposition BNP, a day after deadly clashes at an anti-government rally organised by his party claimed two lives, heightening tensions in the country ahead of the general elections expected in January.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was arrested from his home in the Gulshan neighbourhood, an official of the party’s press wing said.

A Bangladeshi policeman and a BNP activist were killed and more than 200 people, including security personnel, were injured on Saturday as violence erupted during rallies called by the ruling and opposition parties in Dhaka.

The BNP, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, organised a grand rally here on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to allow free and fair elections under a non-party interim government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party also held a peace rally in response to the OpposiBNP is observing a countrywide strike on Sunday in response to the police action that forced it to abruptly end its grand rally on Sunday.

Prime Minister Hasina’s ruling Awami League asked party units to stage simultaneous peace rallies across the country.

Meanwhile, violence continued unabated in the country on Sunday. Fire service officials and police said a bus driver’s assistant was killed as unidentified miscreants set on fire a static bus on Sunday.