Rail stations attacked on first day of strike in BD: 80 hurt, 200 arrested
DHAKA, Aug 24: Opposition activists in Bangladesh attacked railway stations and battled police across the country on Tuesday on the first day of a two-day strike called to protest against a deadly grenade attack at the weekend.
More than 80 people were wounded in clashes with police when protesters smashed railway stations and removed tracks to stop trains and attacked government buildings, witnesses and police said. Over 200 protesters were arrested.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse anti-government mobs shouting: "Punish the bombers". The dawn-to-dusk strike was called by the main opposition Awami League after a deadly Saturday grenade attack on a crowd listening to a speech by party president and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina escaped with minor cuts, but 19 people were killed and about 150 wounded. "This is a heinous and barbaric attack," Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said in an interview. "If we can avoid the blame game, all parties should put their heads together, take stock of the situation and identify the culprits."
The most high-profile victim, the popular head of the Awami League's women's wing, Ivy Rahman, died early on Tuesday. "Ivy Rahman's death intensified the countrywide protest," Abdul Jalil, general secretary of the party, said.
The League later said the strike would end early - at noon on Wednesday - to allow people to attend Rahman's funeral. The secular party blamed the religious parties in the four-party ruling coalition for the violence and demanded Prime Minister Khaleda Zia resign. The government has rejected the accusations and blamed the attack on groups that want to destabilize Bangladesh.
ROLE MODEL: The image of Bangladesh as a role model Muslim-majority democracy had taken a short-term hit, the foreign minister said. "This image has taken a temporary hit." he said. "In a matter of months Bangladesh will be again resilient and, Inshallah, we hope we will be able to take the culprits to task."
Dhaka was open to the idea of foreign help to investigate the blasts but at a later stage and if required, he said. Several countries, alarmed at the attack on a former prime minister, have offered to help. They include the United States, India and Britain.
"After the initial assessment of the incident, should we require help from any country, we shall not hesitate to go to the best source or sources of such assistance if necessity demands," Morshed Khan said.
Analysts said the attack had put pressure on Khaleda Zia's government, accused of inaction after other bombings but said they saw no immediate threat to its stability. -Reuters
