DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police in Bangladesh clashed Tuesday with opposition supporters who blocked roads to demand that the prime minister resign and hand power to a nonpartisan caretaker to oversee elections next year. At least two people were killed and dozens injured, officials said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected a caretaker government and on Tuesday ruled out any dialogue with the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is behind the protests. She warned of consequences if they continue with their announced intention to block roads for three days starting Tuesday.
Dozens of people were arrested across the country, reports said.
In the central district of Kishoreganj, two opposition supporters were killed in clashes Tuesday with police, and 40 other people, including 15 police officers, were injured, local government administrator Abul Kalam Azad said.
Clashes also took place in the Narayanganj district outside the capital, Dhaka, where local media reports said three policemen were stabbed. The United News of Bangladesh agency reported violence including vandalism and arson in Dhaka.
The government has been under pressure for months because of anti-government protests by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Elections are expected in January, and the opposition says it won’t join unless Hasina guarantees a free vote via a caretaker government.
Tensions flared on Saturday when a massive rally by Zia’s party in Dhaka turned violent, and at least four people were killed in ensuing violence through Monday, including the alleged beating death of a policeman over the weekend.
On Sunday, the opposition party held a daylong general strike across Bangladesh when authorities arrested a key opposition politician who has led the movement in the absence of Zia, who is ailing. The party then announced it would start blocking roads Tuesday.
Zia’s party says the government used excessive force on Saturday in attempts to prevent their rally, but authorities accused opposition supporters of attacking police and said they vandalized the chief justice’s official residence.
On Tuesday, police in Dhaka arrested two opposition leaders, Mirza Abbas and Moazzem Hossain Alal, while many other senior opposition leaders went into hiding to avoid arrest.
The foreign missions of Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Britain and the United States in Dhaka issued a joint statement this week urging all sides to refrain from violence and work together to create conditions for a free, fair and peaceful election.
U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas said Tuesday he hoped all sides would engage in dialogue, after meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.
But Hasina ruled out the possibility of dialogue, and described the opposition as “murderers,” in a reference to the alleged beating death Saturday of a police official.
The prime minister strongly criticized Zia’s party, and said the government would resist any attempts to delay the elections. “We won’t just let them off this time. They will not be able to stop the election this way,” she said.
She also said the U.S. ambassador’s call for dialogue with the opposition was like asking U.S. President Joe Biden to hold talks with former President Donald Trump. “If Biden sits with Trump for dialogue, then I will hold the dialogue,” she told a news conference.
Politics in Bangladesh has been dominated for decades by two major dynastic parties led by Hasina and Zia.
Hasina seeks a fourth consecutive term as she pursues an agenda of development by implementing mega projects and offering partnerships to China, India, France, Russia, Japan and Saudi Arabia, among others.
The U.S. is the largest importer of Bangladesh’s garment products, while the European Union has a strong trade and development partnership.
Critics accuse Hasina’s administration of corruption and failure to uphold human rights.
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