Bangladesh riots kill 10 as caretaker PM withdraws

DHAKA - Fierce political rioting in Bangladesh killed at least 10 people and wounded about 500 overnight after the man nominated as caretaker leader withdrew just hours before he was due to take the oath of office.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's five-year mandate ended on Friday. Former Supreme Court chief justice KM Hasan was to have been sworn in as head of a caretaker government on Saturday, ahead of a national election due in January.

The opposition, citing Hasan's past association with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, had accused him of being biased in favour of the government and unsuitable to oversee the election.

Street battles between supporters of rival political parties which erupted on Friday have killed 16 people in the last two days, police and hospitals said.

"We are facing a very volatile and unpredictable situation," a police officer said. "The uncertainties are lingering and tension deepening."

In a statement issued to local media, Hasan said he had decided to withdraw because major political parties had failed to agree on his appointment.

"I was prepared to serve ... national interest, but the level of mistrust between the political parties has made my position untenable," the statement said.

"It is best I should stand aside rather than be a hurdle to the political process."

On Saturday, following the violence, Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed summoned political leaders to discuss the crisis.

Ahmed had proposed that he could stand in as the caretaker government chief, said Abdul Jalil, general secretary of the opposition Awami League.

"I discussed this with my party chief (Sheikh Hasina) and allies, and conveyed to the president that we do not accept his proposal," Jalil told reporters.

Instead, Ahmed will nominate an alternative caretaker leader by Sunday evening, Jalil added.

Earlier, outgoing premier Khaleda told a rally in the capital that her party would accept whatever the president decided and that all other parties should agree to it.

Street battles broke out between rival political activists on Friday evening after Khaleda made her farewell address.

Protesters blocked highways, burned vehicles, and attacked offices of Khaleda's BNP and the homes of some ministers, police and witnesses said.

Political analysts said the protests were the most fierce since a popular uprising in 1990 that toppled military president, Hossain Mohammad Ershad.

That uprising was led jointly by Khaleda and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina. They have since become foes.

Ten more people were killed on Saturday, five in Dhaka, two in eastern Narsingdi, one each in the southern port city of Chittagong, northern Kurigram and western Kushtia. Six were killed on Friday.

Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the fighters, who included members of the opposition Awami League, the BNP and BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

Several policemen were hurt by stones hurled by the rioters, who damaged dozens of vehicles in the capital.

In the southern coastal district of Barisal, the home of former President Abdur Rahman Biswas, a BNP member, was set on fire on Saturday.

A US embassy spokesman said: "political differences should be resolved through democratic means. Violence solves nothing."

The constitution allows the president to be in charge of government for 15 days or ask the outgoing prime minister to continue for the same period. A caretaker head of government has to take over after that.

- REUTERS