Three people were killed and 150 injured in overnight violence between rival groups as Bangladesh on Saturday awaited the installation of a caretaker government.
Police remained on vigil across Bangladesh as interim Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed ended her five-year term on Friday night after the Parliament was disbanded on completion of its tenure. The three were killed in Noakhali district in the south, Jhenaidah in the southwest and coastal Bhola district, police and reports said.
Clashes were also reported early today in the nearby port city of Narayanganj.
Bangladesh's Parliament ended its five-year tenure, a first in the country's 30-year history, despite a boycott led by Sheikh Hasina's arch rival, Khaleda Zia. Sheikh Hasina has sought a fresh mandate from voters, arguing that during the past five years her government set the economy on a sound foundation.
If we get the chance to serve the country for the next term, inshallah (god willing) we shall be able to bring about the coveted economic emancipation, she told the Parliament Friday night.
But Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, demanded that President Shahabuddin Ahmed immediately install a neutral caretaker government headed by former chief justice Latifur Rahman.
Security too remained tight around Bangladesh early on Saturday.
Bureau Report