Fresh violence kills 4, injures dozens in Bangladesh

Four peleng have been killed and nearly 200 others wounded in clashes between Bangladeshi police and protesters enraged by what they called an anti-Islamic campaign launched by a group of bloggers.

The incident occurred on Friday when police fired live rounds to disperse angry protesters. Two of the victims were shot dead in the northwestern town of Palashbari, and two others died elsewhere.

Dhaka was also the scene of fierce scuffles as thousands of protesters used bricks and sticks to attack the police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

The nationwide protests were organized by the Islamic party of Jamaat-e-Islami one day after youths ended their 17-day sit-in.

Tensions have risen in the Muslim-majority nation over allegedly anti-Islamic blog posts by Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was killed last week near his home in Dhaka.

In recent weeks, Haider and fellow bloggers had launched huge protests demanding a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and the execution of its leaders for alleged war crimes in the 1971 independence conflict with Pakistan.

Meanwhile, supporters of the country’s largest Islamic party have been staging mass demonstrations calling for the release of the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, including Abdul Quader Mollah, who the authorities accuse of committing murder and torture.

Mollah’s supporters have dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.