10,000 Protest a Widening of Military Control in Bangladesh

Police wielding batons charged Sunday into nearly 10,000 anti-government protesters marching to Parliament. Witnesses said more than 100 people were injured.

Two ex-Cabinet members--Abdus Samad Azad, the former foreign minister, and Abdul Mannan, the former home minister--and Abdur Razzaque, secretary general of the militant Peasants and Workers Awami League, were among those injured, witnesses told reporters.

Some opposition leaders also were detained, witnesses said. About three hours later, they were released. But police said the “leaders were not detained. They were stopped from going to the Parliament in a procession.”

64 District Councils

The marchers were protesting Parliament’s passage Sunday of a controversial law allowing the government to appoint a military representative to each of the nation’s 64 district councils. The move will give the military a say in local administration and development programs.

Legislators of the Awami League and other opposition groups walked out of Parliament in protest. The governing Jatiya Party holds 213 seats; opposition groups and independents hold 117.

The protesters rallied at the city’s main square and marched a mile before reaching a police cordon about three miles south of the Parliament building.

Police Cite Attack

Police said the demonstrators attacked them, forcing officers to respond by charging the crowd. Witnesses, however, said the procession was peaceful and that police acted when the marchers tried to pass the cordon.

An opposition eight-party alliance called a nationwide, six-hour general strike for today to protest the new law, claiming the government of President Hussain Mohammed Ershad was seeking to perpetuate military rule.

Military Coup

Ershad, the army commander, took power in 1982 in a military coup. Parliamentary elections were held in 1986, but the opposition parties challenge the government’s legitimacy because the elections were held under martial law.