Supporters of Bangladesh's main Islamic party have fought with police during a violent protest in Dhaka to demand the release of jailed Islamist leaders.

The activists belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami party set fire to at least 12 vehicles and threw rocks at police, who used batons to try to break up Monday's protest. Bangladeshi media say at least 50 people were injured, including policemen. Police detained more than 20 people.

The Islamist activists called on the Bangladeshi government to release Jamaat-e-Islami leaders jailed on suspicion of committing war crimes during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

A group of Bangladeshi small investors also protested in Dhaka on Monday, setting fire to tires and blocking roads outside the Dhaka Stock Exchange to show their anger about plunging share prices. The DSE general index dropped about 1.5 percent in early trading, extending recent losses. But the index recovered by the end of trade, closing up 0.7 percent.

Bangladeshi small investors have held a series of protests in Dhaka in recent weeks, complaining about lost savings from investments they made when the stock market rallied last year.