Thirty hurt, vehicle burnt in Bangladesh strike

DHAKA, Sep 10 (Reuters) Hundreds of opposition activists marched in the capital Dhaka and set at least one vehicle ablaze as a day-long strike took hold across Bangladesh today, witnesses said.

At least 30 people were injured in Dhaka when police tried to disperse protesters using batons. Police detained nearly 20 people.

The main opposition Awami League party and its allies called the strike to protest police brutality during previous demonstrations and to demand electoral reforms ahead of next January's parliamentary polls.

Yesterday night, protesters also torched a bus and damaged several vehicles in the capital, police and witnesses said.

The strike today, a working day in mainly Muslim Bangladesh, began at dawn, shutting down schools, markets and businesses.

Reports from the southern city of Chittagong said the strike had halted the delivery of goods from the country's main port and largely paralysed the city.

The strike also shut country's two stock exchanges in Dhaka and Chittagong.

REUTERS SY BS1542