Bangladesh's capital and major cities were calm Tuesday despite a call for a nationwide shutdown by the former ruling party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after she was sentenced to death over her crackdown on a student uprising last year.

The International Crimes Tribunal handed down death sentences in absentia to Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday for their involvement in deadly force used against protesters last year.

Hasina's former ruling Awami League party rejected the court proceedings Monday, calling it “a kangaroo court” and called for a nationwide shutdown the next day.

Hasina’s opponents clashed with police and soldiers until late Monday and attempted to use excavators to demolish the home of her father, Bangladesh independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Local media reported the home of former President Abdul Hamid, a veteran Awami League leader, was vandalized in the northeastern Kishoreganj district.

But on Tuesday, there was no closure of services or shops and schools, although some people expressed tension and confusion over what lies ahead for the South Asian nation, a parliamentary democracy of 170 million people.

"The situation in Dhaka city is completely normal”, Mohammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Police Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said. He added: “We are fully prepared to deal with any kind of untoward situation."

Hasina, 78, was convicted Monday on five charges of crimes against humanity. She also was sentenced to prison until natural death for making inflammatory remarks and ordering the extermination of student protesters with helicopters, drones and lethal weapons.

Local businessman Mohammad Sakhwat Hossain said the sentence “is not justified”, while rickshaw puller Mohammad Sahidul, said it was satisfactory “based on the oppression she (Sheikh Hasina) inflicted on the people of the country and the attacks carried out on people before August 5th”.

A former police chief was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after pleading guilty and becoming a state witness against Hasina.

Bangladesh experienced weeks of student-led protests in July and August last year.

Demonstrators voiced discontent over a quota system for allocating government jobs that critics said favored those with connections to Hasina’s party.

More than 800 people were killed and about 14,000 were injured, Bangladesh’s interim government reported. The United Nations in February estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed.

The uprising led to the collapse of Hasina’s 15-year rule on Aug. 5, 2024. Hasina and Khan fled to India, which has declined to extradite them, making it unlikely they would ever be executed or imprisoned.

Hasina cannot appeal unless she surrenders or is arrested within 30 days of the sentencing. She and Khan did not designate defense lawyers and rejected a state-appointed defense attorney for the tribunal.

AP video by Al Emrun Garjon