Tens of thousands descend on Bangladesh capital for massive rally calling on PM to quit

Rally comes on heels of police action against members of the opposition party

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) take part in the party’s last divisional rally in Dhaka (AFP/Getty)

Tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh‘s main opposition party arrived in Dhaka on Saturday to stage a rally to demand prime minister Sheikh Hasina‘s resignation.

Chants of “Down with Hasina” and “Sheikh Hasina is a vote thief” reverberated in the capital’s Golapbagh sports ground as supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), headed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, raised demands of installing a caretaker government before the next general election to be held in 2024.

Seven BNP lawmakers at the rally announced their resignations from parliament.

Ms Hasina and her ruling Awami League party, which returned to power in 2018 for the third consecutive time, have repeatedly ruled out the opposition’s demand, calling it unconstitutional.

The rally comes during heightened tensions in the South Asian country after one person was killed and nearly 60 sustained injuries as the police stormed the headquarters of the opposition party on Wednesday.

Two of the party’s senior members, including secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were arrested from their homes during the small hours of Friday on charges of inciting violence.

“They were plainclothes police. Alamgir knew their identity. They told him he was being taken away on the order of the high command,” Zahir Uddin Swapan, head of the BNP’s media wing, told AFP.

At least 2,000 activists from the opposition party have been reportedly arrested.

Mr Swapan said nearly 1.5 million opposition supporters took part in the rally. “We want a free and fair election. To facilitate that, this repressive government must go, parliament must be dissolved, and a new election commission should be installed,” he said.

“They came to power through vote rigging and intimidation.”

Locals alleged internet services around the protest venue had been cut off since Saturday morning, although telecom minister Mustafa Jabbar claimed the network could have been disrupted due to the large gathering.

The opposition party boycotted the general election in 2014, while the results of the 2018 election were disputed over allegations of voter fraud. The Awami League won the election with a thumping majority.

Now, the opposition has been demanding to put in place an election-time caretaker government, a system introduced in 1996 to oversee polls. However, it was scrapped in 2011 through a constitutional amendment during Ms Hasina’s rule after the supreme court ruled it to be contradictory to the constitution.

Western governments along with the UN have expressed concerns over the political crisis in Bangladesh. Fifteen embassies issued a joint statement calling for the Hasina government to allow free expression, peaceful assembly and fair elections.

The White House called on Dhaka on Friday to fully investigate reports of violence against journalists and human rights activists and urged all parties to refrain from violence. “We call on all parties in Bangladesh to respect the rule of law, to refrain from violence,” national security spokesperson John Kirby said.