Kyrgyz troops and police dispersed crowds of protesters who seized the government headquarters earlier on Friday demanding their candidate be allowed to run in presidential elections next month. Police drove the protesters out of the building in the capital Bishkek and chased them through nearby streets, shooting in the air and firing tear gas, according to Reuters. Violent scuffles broke out between more than 1,000 police and troops, armed with truncheons and shields, and roughly the same number of protesters, who were finally dispersed and ousted from the main square adjoining the building. A "people's revolution" in March ousted then President Askar Akayev, when crowds of protesters seized the same building after a rigged parliamentary election in the Central Asian state. Two injured policemen, including one with a blood-stained bandage on his head, were taken away for treatment after Friday's clashes. Officials earlier fled the building after more than 150 protesters backing opposition candidate Urmatbek Baryktabasov in the July 10 presidential poll, broke in. --More 1237 Local Time 0937 GMT
