Officials in Bangladesh say police have arrested 50 protesters in the capital, Dhaka, during a strike called by the National Committee for Protection of Oil, Gas and Ports.

The committee staged the six-hour general strike Sunday to demand that the government cancel a gas exploration deal signed last month with U.S. energy giant ConocoPhillips.

The pact allows for ConocoPhillips to explore for gas in the waters of the Bay of Bengal.

The committee that called the strike says the pact is not in the best interests of Bangladesh, which is facing an acute energy crisis.

The Bangladesh government says the country would benefit from the deal. It says the arrangement would help end the country's chronic power shortages.