Veteran Bangladeshi opposition leader attacked as poll tensions surge

Reuters - Ruling party activists in Bangladesh attacked a veteran opposition leader on Friday (December 14) as he travelled through the capital, the opposition said, injuring about 12 supporters and inflaming tension just over two weeks before a general election. Kamal Hossain, an octogenarian Oxford-educated international jurist now heading an opposition alliance, was not hurt when his convoy was attacked by men wielding sticks and stones as he returned from placing flowers on a memorial to victims of Bangladesh's independence war, an opposition spokesman said. Mahbub Alam Hanif, a senior official of the ruling Awami League, dismissed the accusation against his party's supporters. At a news conference, Hossain said a group of young boys attacked his convoy and called on police to stop following orders from people who 'will not remain' in power forever. Police said they had looked into the report of trouble but had found nothing untoward. They would investigate if a complaint was lodged. Bangladeshi elections are often violent and marred by ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation.