Dhaka, Oct 19: At least three persons were reported killed and hundreds detained on Friday as the Bangladeshi army enforced a government crackdown to stem rising crime. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's government has deployed some 40,000 army soldiers across the country since early Thursday in a massive swoop to curb violence, which has been a major political issue.

In the western district of Bogra, demonstrations erupted on Thursday when troops tried to arrest several local leaders of Zia's own Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Soldiers opened fire to clear a protest blockade of a road, killing a rickshaw driver and injuring three others, newspapers reported.

In the southwestern district of Khulna, the main opposition Awami League party called a general strike after troops detained a former MP and parliamentary whip Mustafa Rashidi Suja, his son and 14 others, the reports said.
There was no official comment on the incidents. Bureau Report