Tens of thousands of opposition activists on Tuesday defied the scorching sun to march in capital Dhaka and other cities, calling for Hasina’s resignation.
Hasina’s Awami League has ruled the world’s eighth most populous country since 2009 and has been accused of human rights abuses and corruption.
The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and dozens of smaller allies have called for protests throughout the country to demand Hasina step down and the polls take place under a neutral caretaker government.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the BNP, called upon the government to immediately step down, dissolve parliament and hand power to an interim administration to help restore democracy in the South Asian country.
In Dhaka, activists and supporters from different parts of the city joined the march that stretched for nearly 13km, bringing traffic at different points to a standstill for hours on a busy weekday.
“Many of these people participating in the march did not necessarily belong to political parties. They came from different walks of life, from cab drivers to truck drivers to rickshaw pullers who said they were upset with the government because of the economic crisis,” said Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka.
The BNP said its marches came under attack in Dhaka and at least 16 other places on Tuesday.