“Police charged batons at our peaceful rally. They then opened fire. One of our youth activists was shot dead,” Hossain told Agence France-Presse, adding that the victim was 25 years old.

Police confirmed the death but did not offer any further details.

A doctor at the city’s main state-run hospital said the man had been brought to the emergency ward and died of gunshot wounds.

“The dead person had been shot in his chest,” he said, adding that 20 others were being treated for gunshot injuries.

According to Hossain, at least 100 opposition demonstrators had been injured in the incident, including one person who had been shot in the eye.

At least two other opposition protesters have been killed in the cost-of-living protests since late July, when the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised fuel prices and introduced nationwide power rationing.

What’s behind Bangladesh’s worst bout of communal violence in two decades?

Rising grocery costs have hit household budgets hard, with consumer inflation above seven per cent in July. The government this week pledged to cap the price of several staples, including rice.

Tens of thousands of mosques around the country have been asked to curtail the use of air conditioners to ease pressure on the electricity grid, with power shortfalls compounded by a depreciating currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

Diesel power plants across the country have been taken off the grid, while some gas-fired plants are also idle.