Huge protest in Dhaka by the Bangladesh opposition: "Sheikh Hasina vote thief"

To oppose Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's administration, tens of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's largest opposition party poured on Dhaka and demanded new elections.
Tensions in the capital remained high as protesters screamed, "Sheikh Hasina is a vote thief," following security forces' raid on the BNP offices yesterday that left at least one person dead and numerous others injured, according to AFP.

In an effort to stop the march from taking place, two of the top leaders of the opposition party were detained on Friday on suspicion of inciting violence. The opposition has been protesting around the nation, calling for Sheikh Hasina to step down and hold elections under a caretaker administration.
The United Nations and Western nations both expressed alarm over Bangladesh's political environment.
By mid-morning on Saturday, according to a BNP spokesman, 200,000 people had registered to attend the rally.

In order to organize a free and fair election, "our main demand is that Sheikh Hasina quit and that parliament be dissolved," said spokesman Zahiruddin Swapan to AFP.

Faruq Ahmed, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, asserted that the location could not accommodate more than 30,000 people. Although there had not yet been any violence, he noted that SWAT teams, counterterrorism units, and canine squads were on alert.