Roundup: Violence grows in Bangladesh as rift between ruling and opposition parties widens

Violence has remained unabated around Bangladesh as rift between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) party and ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) widens with their rigid stances.

The fresh wave of violence has so far left over a dozen people dead and several hundreds injured as anti-government protesters battled with law enforcers, attacked rivals, torched vehicles and targeted railway since the morning of Jan. 6 when Khaleda Zia's 20- party alliance enforced nationwide non-stop rail-road-waterway blockade.

Khaleda Zia, who alleged that she had been kept confined to her office in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave Gulshan since the night of Jan. 4, has announced indefinite blockade across the country after her alliance was barred to hold rally on Jan. 5 in capital Dhaka demanding fresh parliament polls under a non-party caretaker government system.

Incidents of clash, arson, vandalism, chase and counter-chase, bomb explosions and detention have been reported across the country every day since the night of Jan. 5.

Hundreds of vehicles were smashed or set on fire during the ongoing blockade.Sources said the death toll from widespread violence across Bangladesh has risen to 13.

A police officer who preferred to be unnamed said a young man was killed and several others were injured in an arson attack in Gaibandha district, some 268 km north of capital Dhaka, on Monday, taking the death toll to 13.

Four bombs were recovered from a toilet at the Arts Faculty building of Dhaka University Tuesday morning during the ceremony of the institution's 49th convocation.

Also on Monday in Dhaka at least nine people including several ruling party men were injured in six crude bomb explosions.

The bombs exploded with a span of half an hour on Monday evening when tens of thousands of ruling party supporters were taking part in a mass rally in the city defying the continuing blockade.

Police said that some 50,000 people took part in the rally in Dhaka's lush-green Suhrawardy Udyan on Monday evening .

The ruling party organized the rally to commemorate the Homecoming Day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who returned home on Jan. 10, 1972 after Bangladesh became an independent nation following nine months' liberation war with Pakistan.

Analysts say the rally aimed at showing strength of Hasina's ruling AL party in the wake of the opposition alliance's countrywide anti-government demonstrations demanding an "inclusive " fresh parliament elections under a non-party caretaker government system.

Addressing the grand rally, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urges Khaleda Zia's BNP to shun violence in the name of blockade.

"Please stop violence against people. Otherwise, you will have to face a rising public anger," she said.

"We'll take all necessary measures to protect the people's lives and properties."

Hasina said she (Khaleda) is not confined to her office but she has held countrymen hostage in the name of blockade.

Khaleda Zia has urged her party men to continue blockade until the government is forced to have a dialogue on holding a fresh free, fair and inclusive election.

BNP and its allies including key Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party have recently tabled a seven-point proposal to Hasina's government for an immediate "inclusive general election".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's AL party has already rejected the proposals. AL spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam said Monday the next parliamentary elections will be held with Sheikh Hasina at the helm. The present government will stay in power till January 28, 2019, he said.

Analysts have already warned that the mounting political crisis triggered by the rigid stances of rival parties could threaten the country's already weak economy and drive away investors. Endi