For the first time, tanks roll out in the streets of Bahrain

King promises to initiate reform but Opposition wants government to go Abdul Wasey New Delhi Doctors protesting in Bahrain First Tunisia. Then Egypt. Now the unrest has spread to Bahrain. Thousands of anti-government protesters, who were camping at Pearl Square in the capital Manama for two days, were dispersed by the country’s riot police in a violent raid. Six people are believed to have died in the operation. Salmaniya Hospital in Manama, meanwhile, confirmed that more than 300 people were injured in the pre-dawn crackdown. On the government side a security official said, “More than 50 policemen were injured, some seriously.” An eyewitness said hundreds of security officers surrounded the makeshift encampment where protesters, including women and children, were asleep in tents, and launched tear gas and rubber bullets. However, according to the riot police, the security forces first warned the protesters to move and when the call was ignored, they were shelled with tear gas. “The police later moved in and started nabbing the protesters. There was a scuffle in which the protesters used knives and swords,” they added. Another eyewitness in hospital confirmed that one man appeared to have been shot at close range in the back of the head, hinting that live rounds must have been fired at some point. Related What New Delhi can learn from Cairo  Egyptians demand freedom, bread and social justice In The Gulf, A Ticket To Hell The protesters, unhappy with the ruling Sunni monarchy, wanted it to give up control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances felt by the country's Shia majority, who claim they face systematic discrimination and are blocked from key roles in public service and the military. Members of the opposition Shiite Islamist party Al Wefaq said the party would withdraw from Bahrain's legislature to protest the crackdown, “the harshest here in at least a decade”. Bahrain's state media quoted an Interior Ministry official talking about the crackdown. “Public security forces carried out this morning the evacuation of the crowd and the protesters from Pearl Square after exhausting all opportunities for dialogue with them. Some of them responded and left quietly, while others refused to comply with the law. We had to intervene in order to disperse them,” said Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior’s spokesperson Brigadier Tariq Hassan Al Hassan. Hours after the crackdown, the military announced on state television that it had key parts of the capital under its control and that gatherings were banned. For the first time, tanks were seen on the streets of this tiny Gulf country. Military checkpoints were deployed and army patrols circulated. Bahrain's armed forces later issued a statement saying, “The armed forces of Bahrain calls on all citizens to distance themselves from gatherings in vital areas in the capital because this will have a negative impact on traffic and will create fear and shock in the area, and will result in a traffic crisis which will disrupt the daily life of the citizens and endanger their personal interest.” It all started on Valentine’s Day 2011 when the protesters marked it as a ‘Day of Rage’ and ‘Revolution Day’. Protests were planned by the opposition Waad party in the leadership of its General Secretary Ibrahim Sharif Al Syed in Shia villages like Karzakan, Malikiyya, Nawaidarat, Sitra, Sanadbis, Daih, etc. The government refused to permit such displays. However, the protesters came out on the streets the same day. Peaceful at first, they clashed with police. In retaliation, the police shot tear gas and bird shots at them, resulting in the deaths of two protesters. After the two deaths, events led to the protesters calling for the overthrow of the monarchy. They started gathering at the famous Pearl Square, hoping to do a Tahrir Square. They even started calling it Dawwar Al Tahrir or Liberty Roundabout. Bahrain’s King appeared on television on 15 February and said his government would look into the demands for reforms. With inputs from journalists in Bahrain, who did not want to be identified. abdul@tehelka.com