Police and opposition party supporters clash in Bangladesh violence

The opposition has held largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations for several months (Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP/PA)

Police in Bangladesh have fired tear gas to disperse supporters of the main opposition party who threw stones at security officials during a rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The violence broke out at the Kakrail area in Dhaka when activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia allegedly attacked a bus carrying the ruling Awami League’s members to a separate rally a few streets away, witnesses and media reports said.