Sporadic election-related violence has flared up in Iran, where several people have reportedly been injured and officials beaten up.
In one incident, several people were injured when a presidential campaign rally of Iran's conservative former labor minister, Ahmad Tavakoli, erupted into running street battles, reported the official Iranian news agency (IRNA) on Tuesday.
Violence broke out overnight Monday between rival groups during a presidential campaign rally in the western city of Islamabad-e Gharb, causing police to intervene as violence spread to the streets, IRNA said.
It said several people were injured by flying objects and sticks, adding that 50 arrests were made.
Tavakoli, 50, is one of nine candidates running against President Mohammad Khatami in Friday's elections.
The report did not identify who attacked the rally, but Tavakoli has angered hard-liners and reformists alike by criticizing not only Khatami's first four-year term but also wider corruption in the Islamic regime, said the agency.
Meanwhile, the government-run Iran paper reported that an office of Khatami's reformist coalition in the holy city of Qom had been set ablaze by attackers, IRNA added.
The pro-reform Norouz daily said the office of a pro-Khatami student group in northwestern Zanjan was also attacked, while other reports have said Khatami campaign posters were torn down in various cities.
In another incident, former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh, a close ally of Khatami, was reportedly attacked by vigilante "pressure groups" who blocked him from holding a speech in the northern city of Amol.
"Two have been detained for charges of attacking Tajzadeh," police chief Jaafar Rahmanzadeh told IRNA.
"Efforts are under way to arrest other members of the gang who attacked the deputy interior minister," he said.
He called on the police to take firm action against such incidents.
In another incident, IRNA quoted a report by the student ISNA news agency as saying that pro-reform MP Baqer Emami was also "beaten up and blocked from continuing his address on reforms in the northwestern city of Marand."
"Some seven unknown assailants attacked Emami and beat him up," it said, adding, "While being beaten up, Emami was stressing that reforms are necessary for the Islamic Revolution to achieve its lofty goals." - Albawaba.com
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