An 11-party opposition alliance staged a sit-in at Paltan in Dhaka on 6 August to protest fuel and gas shortages, so-called ghost electricity bills, deteriorating law and order, and soaring prices of essentials.
Women taking part carried gas stoves and cooking pots.
Participant Aasia Khatun said families cannot cook at home because of the gas shortage, must buy food for their children, and poorer people struggle to afford it.
Khatun added that if the government cannot restore gas and electricity immediately, it should give up power.
The alliance put forward a 10-point list of demands, including public hearings into electricity bills collected over the past three months, punishment of those responsible, compensation for affected customers, and scrapping demand charges, meter rents, and other fees.
Further demands included stopping gas bill collection when supply is absent, formulating a long-term national energy policy, exploring new gas fields, investigating the Maheshkhali LNG terminal failure, and taking strict action against system loss, theft, and waste.
Leaders present included Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, NCP convenor and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam, and Liberal Democratic Party President Col (retd) Oli Ahmad.
The sit-in triggered severe traffic congestion around Paltan Zero Point and nearby roads, causing hardship for commuters.