Bangladeshi ex-PM Zia charged with sabotage

The Bangladesh Police on Wednesday pressed charges against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and activists from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies for a subversive activity.

The former premier was accused of being involved in a petrol bomb attack in the capital of Dhaka that left one dead and dozens injured in January.

On May 6, the police filed charges against Zia and 37 others under Penal Code and Explosive Substance Act in the same case.

Zia has already been facing three other cases over the violence triggered by a nationwide transport blockade that claimed scores of people dead, mostly in arson attacks.

Police said the protesters during the blockade launched the attack on Jan. 23 in line with Zia's instructions.

Twenty eight people reportedly suffered burns as two petrol bombs thrown by suspected blockaders exploded inside a bus in Dhaka's Jatrabari area and one of the victims later died in hospital.

A BNP spokesman, who did not want to be named, had earlier dismissed the charges against the opposition leaders and activists as "totally false and fake." Endi