Students riots across Bangladesh pose the most serious challenge to the emergency government since it took power in January 2007 pledging to rid the country of corruption before elections by the end of 2008. BBC News answers key questions about the latest developments.
Why have the riots been so violent?
There is dissatisfaction among many in Bangladesh over what they see as the slow re-introduction of democracy.
Students in particular are frustrated that under the state of emergency imposed in January, political gatherings are banned.
Many have also been angered over the presence of the military and the police force on university campuses.
Universities in Bangladesh have traditionally been hotbeds of political debate, and it was after student movements in the past that military governments of Ziaur Rahman and Muhammad Ershad were overthrown.
Who is in charge of the country at the moment?
At the moment power is held by a military-backed caretaker government.
It has not only prevented political parties from holding meetings but has also launched a vigorous drive against corruption.
The big question now is whether the two main parties - the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League will be able to resume political activities, because at the moment they are prevented from actively taking part in politics.
The government says elections will be held only once it has rid the country of corruption. They say that will be by the end of 2008. So far scores of politicians, businessmen and civil servants have been arrested.
What's happening to the main political parties and their leaders?
Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina and BNP leader Khaleda Zia - both former prime ministers - face criminal charges. Sheikh Hasina is currently under arrest while restrictions have been imposed on Khaleda Zia's freedom of movement. Both women face rumblings of discontent against their leadership from within their respective parties.
The BNP and Awami League - normally the bitterest of political enemies - say that elections should go ahead as soon as possible. But the problems faced by the leaderships of the two parties has made it difficult for them to rally popular support.
The restrictions on their political activities in recent months have meant that the two parties have kept a relatively low profile.
The Awami League has taken court action to get murder charges against Sheikh Hasina dropped, and secure her release from detention.
The BNP issued a series of statements condemning what it said were government efforts to force Khaleda Zia into exile.
How many senior politicians have been arrested?
The chief of Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury told the BBC in July that some 200 people had been questioned or detained awaiting trial so far.
He said that many more arrests can be expected in the coming months.
Khaleda Zia's son, Tareque Rahman, is in custody as well as several former BNP cabinet ministers.
The Awami League's General Secretary, Abdul Jalil, is also in custody.
A number of second-tier leaders from both parties are in hiding, some may have left the country. Other senior leaders have become ''inoperative'' - meaning they no longer give statements or say anything critical of the government.
In June, the special anti-corruption court handed down its first conviction and sentence to a former government minister, Amanullah Aman, who was sent to jail for 13 years.
The authorities have warned that many other convictions will follow.
Will the military-backed government succeed in its efforts to eradicate corruption?
That remains to be seen. Correspondents say the problem is so deep-rooted that it will not have time to clean things up before the elections promised by the end of 2008.
Some argue that the latest student protests show that the government is running out of time.
They say that Bangladesh cannot be clean while Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia stay on the scene: it looks as if both women are now in considerably weaker positions because of the ongoing court cases and dissent from within their parties.
It now appears the government has for the time being at least dropped plans to force them into exile following the failure earlier of this year to prevent Sheikh Hasina from returning to the country after a trip to the US, and the abandonment of moves to persuade Khaleda Zia to go into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Many analysts argue that as long as the two women - even if they are not themselves corrupt - continue to hold run their respective parties, a culture of corruption will remain.
Why did the president call a state of emergency?
Emergency rule was declared ostensibly to uphold law and order.
When the BNP's term of office ended in October, the country was gripped by a series of violent clashes in which many people were killed.
The Awami League protested that general elections that were due to have been held in late January would not have been free or fair. It said it would boycott the elections and disrupt them.
In the end President Iajuddin Ahmed bowed to pressure and declared a state of emergency and the postponement of general elections.
What were the Awami League and their allies unhappy about?
Bangladesh has an unusual electoral set-up in which, before elections, the government must resign and a neutral, caretaker government takes over and assumes responsibility for running a fair and impartial poll.
This time, the Awami League argued that the interim government was biased in favour of the outgoing BNP led by Khaleda Zia, and that the list of people entitled to vote in the election was years out of date.
Why is politics so bad-tempered in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh is one of the most politically polarised countries in the world, even though the actual policy differences between the Awami League and the BNP are not that significant.
Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina have alternated as prime minister since 1991. They are bitter rivals and barely speak to each other. Their mutual loathing is reflected among their respective sets of supporters.
As a result, political life has been marked by, at best, ceaseless bickering.
How has the state of emergency changed things?
The media has been censored. Private TV stations can only broadcast news supplied by state television. Newspapers are careful about publishing anything critical of the government.
Political and trade union activities, including rallies and demonstrations are banned.