Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s party on Thursday held sit-in programmes across the country, demanding the arrest and trial of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices for the recent violence in the country.

Hasina resigned on August 5 as Prime Minister and left following massive protests against her government.

An interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8 along with 16 advisers to lead the government.

Activists and workers of the Dhaka metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) gathered at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s South Gate, in front of Hasina’s Awami League party’s offices, and at the Central Shaheed Minar to press their demands.

Over 230 people died in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, taking the death toll to 560 during the three weeks of violence.

The interim government has already initiated an investigation against Hasina and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place from July 15 to August 5 during the students’ mass movement against her government.

BNP activists and workers and its affiliate organisations are holding sit-in programmes to demand that the “autocrat” Hasina and her “accomplices” be brought to justice for the loss of lives in the recent violence.

Several hundred BNP activists also gathered in front of the BNP’s central offices in Naya Paltan. BNP Dhaka city south convenor Rafiqul Islam Majnu led the protests at Baitul Mukarram on Thursday.

“We have announced a programme for today. The BNP and its affiliate organisations are taking part in the programme in Dhaka and across the country. We have one demand — the arrest and trial of fascist autocrat Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices. They have conducted a brutal genocide in Bangladesh.”

Over a 100 activists and leaders of the Savar Jubo Dal were in front of the destroyed Awami League offices on Bangabandhu Avenue. They demanded Hasina be brought to justice. Members of the Chhatra Dal, the affiliate student wing of the BNP, also gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar. Leaders and activists of the organisation chanted slogans demanding trials for the ousted Hasina administration while waving the national and party flags.

The Dhaka unit of the BNP and the Jubo Dal, the party’s youth wing, also held marches in Malibagh, Mouchak, Shahjahanpur, and Kaptan Bazar.