Deadly bomb blasts Bangladesh rally

Bangladesh has arrested tens of thousands to curb pre-poll clashes

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- At least eight people were killed and 50 others injured after a bomb exploded at an election rally in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh police and witnesses said a bomb went off on Sunday while Sheikh Helaluddin, a candidate for the October 1 parliamentary poll, was about to address a meeting at southwestern Mollarhat.

The blast is the latest in a series of attacks that has killed more than 250 people over the last two months amid claims armed gangsters are disrupting law and order in a bid to destabilize the country in the run-up to the polls.

The violence is hitting this South Asian nation despite the government arresting around 58,000 suspected criminals in August, and clamping down on illegal weapons in a bid to crack down on "troublemakers".

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The clashes typically occur between the country's two rival political groups -- former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by another ex-premier, Khaleda Zia.

The political rivalries have grown so intense that parliament had considered a special security law to increase protection for Hasina because of threats against her life.

Since gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has witnessed the assassinations of two presidents, three military coups and 19 failed coup attempts.

Sunday blast

A string of bomb blasts has killed scores

Police Inspector Wahiduz Zaman told Reuters news agency that six people were killed on the spot and two died on the way to hospital in Sunday's blast.

"At least eight people were killed in the blast. Twenty-four seriously injured others have been admitted into hospital," said Zaman.

Helaluddin, from the Awami League party and who escaped unhurt, is seeking a seat in the 300-member parliament. Mollarhat is 370 km (231 miles) southwest of Dhaka.

Police say the death toll might rise, but they could not say whether the bomb was planted or thrown into the meeting, attended by hundreds of people.

Bangladesh's caretaker government, headed by former chief justice Latifur Rahman, has ordered the deployment of 55,000 army troops to assist police and paramilitary soldiers to ensure a peaceful election.

Bangladesh has invited hundreds of foreign observers to monitor the election, along with thousands of local monitors, after major political parties said they feared widespread fraud and rigging.

Nearly 75 million Bangladeshis are eligible to vote in the election.