The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced a two-day protest on Sunday after police arrested 80 opposition activists during a countrywide general strike against the government attempts to change the voting system.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said they will stage a rally in the capital on Monday and countrywide demonstrations the next day to protest "the attacks and mass arrests" of their men during the strike. The opposition party and its key ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami began the strike since 6:00 am (BDST) to demand the caretaker system must stay in place for holding parliamentary elections.
During Sunday's strike, three small bombs were exploded near the offices of the BNP. Police dispersed the protesters around 11:05 am (BDST) after two cocktails were exploded. Another bomb was exploded in front of a shopping complex, leaving a rickshaw-puller seriously injured. Police shot 15 rounds of bullets to bring the situation under control when activists ransacked five trucks in the town of Begumganj, while 10 people were injured when police hit protesters with batons in Dattarhat village. Almost 60 people were also injured in four other towns when police clashed with activists.
The announcement of the two-day protest comes as the government is planning to scrap the provision for caretaker government system in the constitution. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia told reporters Saturday her party would not contest future polls if the government scrapped the caretaker system, which has covered four successive elections
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