Bangladeshi police fired tear gas at protesters near the capital Dhaka Tuesday as a nation-wide strike called by the main opposition party brought much of the country to a standstill. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists attacked police as the strike shut schools, shops and brought crucial garment export shipments to a halt.
"BNP supporters threw bricks at police, injuring several officers. The bricks just kept raining down," said Alauddin Bhuiyan, district police chief of Narsingdi, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside of Dhaka. "We fired tear gas and used baton charges to break up the protests," he said, adding that five BNP activists had been arrested.
Minor street battles between police, BNP and ruling Awami League activists were reported elsewhere. The BNP is protesting against the eviction of its leader and former prime minister Khaleda Zia from her home two weeks ago, in a move they say was politically motivated. On November 13, police entered Zia's house in Dhaka, forcing the 65-year-old widow of former military dictator Ziaur Rahman to flee.