By JULHAS ALAM
The Associated Press
Sunday, January 7, 2007; 2:11 AM

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Riot police used batons and fired tear gas Sunday to disperse thousands of stick-welding and stone-throwing protesters in the Bangladeshi capital who are demanding electoral reforms, witnesses and a news report said.

Several demonstrators were injured during the melee in Dhaka, Ruhin Hossain, a witness, told The Associated Press by telephone.

Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed in the Bangladeshi capital as a three-day transport blockade called by a major political alliance to force electoral reform began.

Schools and businesses were closed in Dhaka as the alliance staged street protests demanding voting reforms and a postponement of the Jan. 22 election.

Some 2,000 protesters demonstrated near the downtown headquarters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, which spearheads the 19-party alliance that called the strike.

Transportation ground to a halt across Bangladesh early Sunday.

About 12,000 police and soldiers were deployed across the capital, where the 19-party political alliance plans to block roads and railways until Tuesday to isolate the city from the rest of the country.

Many feared a repeat of violence seen in previous protests. At least 34 people have been killed in demonstrations since October.

Protesters accuse the interim government in charge of organizing Jan. 22 elections of favoring their opponents, a four-party coalition led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The alliance wants the vote delayed until electoral reforms are complete, including the revision of a voter list. The group vowed not to let police halt their strike.

"If they try to stop us, we will continue our protests until the election day," said alliance spokesman Obaidul Qader.

The alliance accused police of detaining about 1,500 activists ahead of the planned protests. But a police Web site said it had detained about 600 people for various crimes.

Bangladesh has a history of political turmoil. Two presidents have been slain in military coups, and Hasina and Zia have traded premierships since the restoration of democracy in 1991.