Violence Disrupts Dhaka Elections; 2 Killed, 200 Hurt
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Explosives and gunfire erupted at polling centers in Dhaka during local elections Sunday, killing at least two people and wounding 200.
Voters cast ballots for mayors and city council members in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna, the four largest cities in Bangladesh.
Most of the wounded were shot, doctors at hospitals said. Election officials were among the wounded.
Voting was suspended at eight places in Dhaka, the capital, after police fired tear gas and clubbed activists who had attacked the polling centers.
The government deployed 17,000 police and paramilitary troops in Dhaka and 13,000 security forces in the other three cities.
The two people were killed when activists for Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s party attacked polling centers in Dhaka, opposition leader Sheik Hasina Wajed said at a news conference.
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