Bangladesh police officials have arrested more than a thousand people as the government intensifies its crackdown on supporters of former leader Sheikh Hasina.

Bangladesh police have arrested more than 1,300 people following reports of mob violence over the weekend.

Tensions have been high since mass protests led to the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August last year.

Last week, demonstrators targeted and destroyed the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the founding father of Bangladesh. The attack was triggered by Hasina’s plan to deliver a speech to her supporters while in exile in India.

“There is anger because of her actions and refusal to atone for them... People are angry about repression and corruption,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia politics expert, in an interview with DW.

In response to the unrest, some of Hasina’s supporters attempted to gather at government-associated buildings but were met with violent resistance from her critics.

The student-led movement that orchestrated Hasina’s removal has since announced its intention to dismantle Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution, arguing that it upholds the legacy of her father’s rule.

Hasina’s government had long been accused of repression, and her eventual removal came after weeks of persistent protests and violent clashes with security forces.

In the wake of the attack on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence, the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, appealed for calm. However, just hours later, members of the main student-led movement that toppled Hasina were assaulted in Gazipur, a district near the capital, Dhaka. In response, students called for immediate action.

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, head of the Interior Ministry under the interim government, vowed to continue operations “until we uproot the devils.”

Police spokesperson Inamul Haque Sagar confirmed that more than 1,308 individuals had been arrested nationwide. Some observers have raised concerns that such operations could further destabilize the country.