Six dead, 100 reportedly wounded in Bangladesh electricity protest
The victims were part of a group of 10 thousand small farmers from the northeast, demonstrating for a cheaper and more regular supply of electricity to their land.
Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Six people have been killed and about 100 people wounded as police in northwest Bangladesh opened fire on a crowd of 10,000 rioting farmers demanding improved electricity supplies.
Police sub-inspector Mohammed Jaluluddin said there were about 10,000 farmers and only 100 police. "They (the farmers) were furious," he said. "They pushed us back and back and torched our police vehicles. "They were about to torch us. We didn't have any choice but to fire."
The farmers besieged an electricity board office at Shibganj, in Chapai Nawabganj district, some 250 kilometres from Dhaka, repeating a protest at the same office on January 4 when police shot at the crowd killing two and injuring more than 15 people.
News agencies says one of the six victims had died in hospital, and 48 police officers were injured, amid varying reports of the death toll and numbers of injured.
Officials said the farmers were also demanding the release of three colleagues who were arrested on Sunday for their part in the January 4 demonstration.
Farmers in the area, one of the poorest in the impoverished country, want more and cheaper electricity to help them irrigate their land. They say erratic supply has resulted in poor yields.
Bangladesh has been hit by power shortages in recent years as fast growing industrial and domestic demand has outpaced supply, with some rural areas now getting only four to six hours of electricity per day.
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