Three children killed in political clashes

Dozens of political rivals exchanged gunfire in a village in eastern Bangladesh, killing three children, including a four-year-old boy, who were caught in the crossfire, police said today.

At least 50 other villagers were wounded in Friday’s fighting between members of the country’s two main political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, at Chandrapur village in Feni district, a local police officer said.

The children two teenage boys and the four-year old were caught in the exchange of fire between the rival groups, the officer said.

Ten people with injuries, including three women, were admitted to hospital, he said.

The violence erupted after members of the BNP, led by ex-premier Khaleda Zia, beat up four supporters of the Awami League, led by another former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in the village 80 miles east of the capital, Dhaka.

Thirty-five houses were either damaged or set on fire during the four-hour confrontation in which the rivals used sawed-off rifles and pistols, the officer said.

Police arrested six people on charges of violence.

Bloody political clashes have become common as Bangladesh prepares for elections in October.

Police said 15 people were killed in such political clashes since July 15, when Hasina handed power to a caretaker government to oversee the elections.

Under the constitution, an incumbent leaves office three months ahead of the polls so that a caretaker administration can ensure that voting is free and fair.