Dhaka, July 16 (IANS) Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was sent to jail Monday after being arrested from her home early in the morning, leading to widespread protests by supporters of her Awami League.

Hasina, whose house was surrounded by hundreds of security personnel at about 5 a.m., was produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate, who sent her to jail in connection with an extortion case, the Daily Star website reported.

‘Several hundred law enforcers had cordoned former Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) Chief Sheikh Hasina’s house in a pre-dawn raid. They entered the premises of her Dhanmondi Road Number 5 residence in the heart of the national capital, at around 4:50 a.m.

‘They left the premises with AL chief around 7:30 a.m.,’ the website stated.

There was no government announcement about the arrest.

As Hasina was taken to the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court Monday morning, Awami League supporters held a demonstration outside the court to protest the arrest, Star Online said.

A similar demonstration was held at Dhaka University, nursery of the 1971 movement that saw the birth of Bangladesh under the leadership of Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina, who has been under virtual house arrest for several weeks, has been charged with corruption and murder in recent months. The cases are still pending in courts.

She has denied the charges repeatedly and said they were ‘politically motivated’.

Hasina is the first top leader to be detained since the early 1990s when ousted military ruler, H.M. Ershad, was detained, tried for corruption charges and jailed for five years. He is still under trial for some of the charges.

Bangladesh has a national emergency in force under which there is a blanket ban on political activity. The interim government of Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed, that took over six months ago, called off the ninth general elections in January amid political turmoil.

Chief Election Commissioner A.T.M. Shamsul Huda Sunday announced a ‘roadmap’ to elections that would take place only towards the end of the next year.

Hasina’s arrest within hours of the announcement is unlikely to go down well with political parties that are clamouring for early elections.

Like Hasina, her archrival and another former prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, too has complained of being held under house arrest.