DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Thousands of students and others on Thursday rallied in Bangladesh’s capital to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power by a mass uprising initially led by students over a quota system for government jobs.

Hasina left for India on August 5th after weeks of violence resulted in the deaths of over 600 people, including students. The unrest brought an end to the 15-year rule of Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, who had begun a fourth consecutive term in January after an election boycotted by major opposition parties. These parties raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.

The protesters chanted slogans like “Where is Hasina? Bury her, bury her!” and “Hasina-Modi, warning, be careful!” or “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar.”

They were referring to Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, as Hasina is known to be a close ally of India. Many protesters harbor negative sentiments toward India for promoting Hinduism and exhibiting what they perceive as a domineering attitude, and condemned India for providing refuge to Hasina.

The main procession, known as a “shaheedi march” or “martyrs' procession”, commenced at the Dhaka University campus and moved through the streets. Along with numerous Bangladeshi flags, some participants carried a large Palestinian flag.

Tens of thousands took part in rallies across the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people.

In Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood, thousands of school and madrasah students in uniform participated in processions, chanting slogans against Hasina. Some carried banners and placards, which read “We want Hasina’s execution” and “We want reforms of the state.”

Thursday’s developments occurred as Bangladesh was returning to a state of normalcy after the protests, despite facing challenges such as a struggling economy. An interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had a strained relationship with Hasina for many years, has prioritized maintaining law and order to stabilize the country.

Yunus, in an interview with the Press Trust of India, or PTI, news agency released Thursday, stated that Hasina should remain silent, and that her political remarks from India are an “unfriendly gesture.”

The protesters and other opponents of Hasina want her and her associates to face trial for mass killings during the demonstrations that began in July.

“If India wants to keep her until Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has to remain silent,” the PTI quoted Yunus as saying.

“No one is comfortable with her position there in India because we want her back to face trial. She is there in India and at times she is speaking out, which is problematic ... No one likes it,” he said.

Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina’s statement on August 13 in which she demanded “justice” , saying those involved in recent “terror acts”, killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and held accountable.

Yunus's government is restructuring the police force, the civil service, and other government organizations to assert control amidst reports of violence and ongoing unrest.

Days of street demonstrations by garment workers and employees in other industries compelled factory owners to shut down their operations for several days before resuming work on Thursday, under heightened security measures in two major industrial zones outside Dhaka.

Additionally, media reports indicated that a young Hindu man was assaulted on Wednesday by a Muslim mob in the presence of security personnel in the southwestern Khulna region after he allegedly posted disrespectful remarks online about the Prophet Muhammad.

The country’s two leading Bengali-language newspapers, Prothom Alo and Samakal, initially reported online that the man, identified as Sri Utso, was killed by a mob. However, they later removed these reports from their websites and published new versions stating that he had not died and was receiving medical treatment. These reports did not provide further details about the 22-year-old man's current location.

The military's Inter Service Public Relations office issued a statement later on Thursday, stating that soldiers rescued Utso after an angry mob attacked him at the office of a senior police official. The statement said he survived the attack and was out of danger, and he would be handed over to police for legal action against him.

In an interview with the PTI, Yunus dismissed earlier reports that the Hindu minority had been targeted following Hasina's removal from power. Modi had previously expressed concern about reports of attacks on Hindus.

Yunus stated that the issue of attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh is “exaggerated” and questioned how India presented the situation.

He argued that attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are more politically motivated than religiously motivated. He explained that these incidents are a result of political turmoil, as there is a perception that most Hindus supported the former Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.