Dhaka, May 3 -- Thousands of Hefazat-e-Islam leaders and activists gathered at Dhaka's historic Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday morning for a pre-announced grand rally, aimed at pressing their five-point charter of demands. Chief among these is the immediate withdrawal of around 300 legal cases pending against their leaders and activists.

The rally officially began at 9:00 AM and is scheduled to continue until 1:00 PM. Participants from various districts began arriving at the venue as early as 5:00 AM, and within two hours, the grounds were filled with several thousand supporters.

Other key demands include justice for those killed during the May 5, 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown, the protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vi...