Police in Bangladesh clash with protesters over power plant

Police in Bangladesh’s capital have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters demanding cancellation of a plan for a massive coal-fired power plant near ecologically sensitive mangrove forests on the coast. Five people were injured.

Police in Bangladesh’s capital have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters demanding cancellation of a plan for a massive coal-fired power plant near ecologically sensitive mangrove forests on the coast. Five people were injured.

A Bangladeshi protestor throws a rock towards policemen during a protest demanding the scrapping of the proposed Rampal power plant, in Dhaka. (AP Photo)

The protesters, consisting mostly of leftist political groups and citizens, had called for an eight-hour general strike in Dhaka on Thursday. The violence took place at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, but most of the city was unaffected.

The government insists that the planned 1.3-gigawatt Rampal power station near the Sundarbans, a world heritage site, is key to reaching its target of 24 gigawatts of electrical capacity by 2021.

UNESCO says the plant poses a serious threat to the Sundarbans.