Petrol bombs thrown during Bangladesh protest

DHAKA (AFP) - Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh threw petrol bombs at police on Tuesday as opposition parties enforced a nationwide strike demanding elections under a neutral caretaker government.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators in the northwestern city of Rajshahi, while minor clashes erupted in the capital Dhaka and several major towns.

"Up to 500 protesters pelted stones and petrol bombs. We fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse them," deputy commissioner of Rajshahi police Shah Golam Mahmud told AFP.

Schools, businesses and private offices were closed across the country and most roads were empty, with thousands of officers on patrol to try to prevent a repeat of violence on Sunday during a similar strike.