DHAKA: One police officer was killed and more than 100 people were injured in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Saturday during protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Demonstrators are also calling for free and fair elections under a caretaker government.
Bangladesh is due to hold a national election by January next year, but the BNP is demanding Hasina to step down immediately. The ruling party maintains that the next general election must be overseen by the current government as per the provisions of the constitution.
The ruling Awami League party was accused of rigging the last two elections in 2014 and 2018, and of cracking down on thousands of opposition activists during her nearly 15-year rule since 2009.
Hasina, who has maintained tight control since coming to power in 2009, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, cracking down on free speech and suppressing dissent while jailing her critics.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) who gathered chanting anti-government slogans.
Dozens of vehicles, including police vans and ambulances, were set on fire, according to police and media reports. –Agencies
