Summary Police fired tear gas to disperse rampaging opposition supporters.
DHAKA: Schools and businesses are closed in Bangladesh's major cities and towns as opposition parties enforce a strike demanding a caretaker government be restored before the next national elections.
Witnesses and television reports say police fired tear gas to disperse rampaging opposition supporters who smashed vehicles and clashed with security forces Tuesday. It was not clear immediately if people were injured.
Police say activists torched at least 21 vehicles in Dhaka late Monday after police arrested a senior leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. A coalition of 18 parties is enforcing the strike.
The government scrapped the caretaker system last year in line with a Supreme Court order, saying it contradicts the constitutional spirit. Opposition parties fear the election will be unfair if the current party remains in power.
