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Dhaka mourns slain lawmaker

Thousands of supporters attended Islamic funeral prayers for an opposition lawmaker yesterday, a day after he was killed by gunmen during a rally outside Bangla-desh's capital.

Ahsanullah Master, a lawmaker from the main opposition Awami League, was attending a rally of the party's labor wing in the industrial town of Tongi when about 15 gunmen opened fire, said party spokesman Saber Hossain Chowdhury.

Master died soon after he was brought to Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital with multiple bullet wounds to his chest.

Three other members of the party died from bullet wounds on the way to the hospital, police said.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack. The Awami League has blamed the killing on government supporters, while authorities say that it may be linked to an internal party feud.

At a news conference Friday, Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil said the killing was ``part of a conspiracy hatched by the top level of the government'' to undermine the opposition, which is campaigning for Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's resignation and general elections.

The opposition accuses Zia's administration of corruption, mismanagement and harassment of opponents. A Home Ministry press statement Friday said that an initial investigation suggested the killing could be the outcome of an alleged dispute over leadership of the party's labor wing. The opposition denounced the statement.

Also on Friday, at least one person was killed and dozens wounded when police fired shots and tear gas to disperse thousands of angry opposition supporters who took to the streets to protest the killing, news reports said.

The crowd attacked government offices and set two trains and a movie theater on fire, and destroyed dozens of vehicles in Tongi and adjoining areas, witnesses said.

The Awami League said it will organize a general strike today to protest the shooting.
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