30 November 2010 Last updated at 07:40 ET

Bangladesh protesters and police clash in mass strike

By Anbarasan Ethirajan BBC News, Dhaka

The opposition-led strike was the second in the last fortnight

Bangladeshi police have clashed with protesters in the capital Dhaka as a nationwide strike brought much of the country to a halt.

The 24-hour industrial action shut schools and businesses, including crucial garment export shipments.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called the walkout in protest at "misrule" by the Awami-League led government.

BNP leader Khaleda Zia, the former PM, was evicted from her home this month.

Tuesday's was the second opposition-led strike in the last fortnight.

'Political vengeance'

Police used batons to disperse a group of opposition supporters near the BNP headquarters in the capital.

Thousands of policemen were deployed across the country to prevent violence, said the authorities.

The BNP said more than 1,000 party members and activists had been taken into custody in the days leading up to the latest walkout.

It comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Khaleda Zia against her eviction from her military-owned home.

The house was leased to Ms Zia, a year after the assassination of her husband, former president General Zia-ur-Rahman, in a military coup in 1981.

The government said the lease was illegal, a finding upheld by the high court.

Ms Zia's supporters argue that the government's decision is political vengeance.

The strike halted garment exports, which account for over 80% of Bangladesh's total exports.