Through the Facebook post, Mahfuz called on citizens to support the arrest and prosecution of criminals, but warned against turning entire neighbourhoods into ghettos in the name of security.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami have held a major rally in Dhaka.

The Gopalganj administration has extended the curfew till 6am on Sunday to maintain law and order in the district following Wednesday's violence that left five dead.

The government is doing everything lawfully in Gopalganj after the recent violence there, said Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (19 July).