Bangladesh lifts curfew after peace restored

Dhaka, Aug 28: Bangladesh's army-back interim government has lifted a curfew imposed on the capital Dhaka and five other cities following the end of widespread student riots, the home ministry said.

The curfew was imposed on Wednesday after protests by students of the Dhaka University against the presence of army troops at a campus football match spread across the country, killing one man and injuring around 300 people.

Authorities indefinitely shut universities and colleges in Dhaka and five other main cities and ordered a judicial proble into the violent incidents.

The judicial commission, headed by retired justice Habibur Rahman Khan, started work today and urged cooperation from all concerned.

The Home Ministry urged citizens to be alert against any recurrence of violence and to help the government prepare for a free and fair election late next year.

''There will be no curfew after midnight on Monday as the country has returned to complete peace,'' the statement said.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since the interim authority took over on January 11 following weeks of political violence that killed at least 25 people.

The government accused students and some teachers backed by political parties of trying to ''destabilise the country and undermine the administration'' through last week's unrest.

REUTERS>