Thousands of protesters demanding electoral reforms took to the streets Monday in Bangladesh, as a general strike crippled the capital for a second straight day. Slogan-chanting activists rallied on the streets of Dhaka and halted public transportation except tricycle pedicabs. No violence was immediately reported. Demonstrators also converged on highways leading in and out of the capital, cutting off Dhaka from the rest of the country, ATN Bangla TV station reported. The indefinite strike was launched Sunday by a 14-party political alliance to demand the resignation of election officials. Protesters set fire to a train and attacked public transport workers who defied the strike call, the Associated Press reported. One man was killed in Sunday's violence and authorities deployed 15,000 security personnel in Dhaka. The alliance, led by the main opposition Awami League party, said the caretaker government headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed has failed to take steps to ensure January elections will be free and fair.
