Dhaka, Dec 29 (IANS): A school teacher was killed and dozens of other people were injured Monday during a nationwide general strike called by Bangladesh's main opposition party.

The 37-year-old teacher died of her injuries after she was hit on the head by a brick thrown by protesters at a covered van carrying her in Noakhali town, some 158 km southeast of capital Dhaka, Xinhua reported.

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called the countrywide strike to protest the restrictions on its rally in Gazipur on the outskirts of Dhaka and to demand release of the party's leaders and activists.

Gazipur's local administration has imposed an indefinite ban on political rallies in the district from Friday in the wake of growing tension over the ruling and the opposition parties' announcements of holding rallies at the same venue Saturday.

Security has been beefed up in Dhaka since Sunday night to thwart any untoward incident.

Police fired teargas and rubber bullets amid clashes with protesters in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.

The BNP has been staging mass protests demanding fresh national elections in the country under a non-party caretaker government.