DHAKA: Bangladesh witnessed an unusually subdued Monday as heavy security deployment and deserted streets marked the tense hours ahead of the International Crimes Tribunal–Bangladesh (ICT-BD) verdict against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a case of alleged crimes against humanity.

The capital city Dhaka, typically gridlocked on weekday mornings, woke to near-empty roads, with only scattered cars and rickshaws moving through heavily policed intersections.

The eerie calm followed a night of sporadic arson and crude bomb attacks.