Tanzanian police arrest leading opposition figure at rally

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzanian police arrested a senior opposition figure and 32 supporters, officials said on Wednesday, at an allegedly illegal rally where police used tear gas to scatter demonstrators. Tanzania is due to hold a referendum on a new constitution in April and a general election in October when opposition parties plan to field a single presidential candidate to challenge the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party's 54-year grip on power. On Wednesday the National Assembly Speaker temporarily adjourned the parliamentary session which descended into a shouting match after opposition lawmakers demanded an urgent debate on Tuesday's arrests. Opposition lawmakers said police had beaten up the opposition supporters they arrested. The police denied this. Ibrahim Lipumba, chairman of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party, was among those arrested in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam at a rally to commemorate post-election demonstrations in 2001 at which at least 30 people were killed. "Police have arrested 32 opposition supporters, including Prof. Lipumba, for illegal gathering," Dar es Salaam's deputy police commissioner, Simon Siro, told journalists. Lipumba and his supporters were held in custody overnight and officials said police planned to file charges against them on Wednesday for illegal assembly. CUF deputy secretary general Julius Mtatiro confirmed the arrests. "Police are expected to file charges against Prof. Lipumba and our supporters today," he said.