Bangladesh, the day after: Muhammad Yunus 'agrees' to head interim govt, turmoil escalates

 Nobel laureate agrees to students' demand, reports Al Jazeera; minority homes, Awami League properties targeted, trade fears emerge; Sheikh Hasina still in Delhi

Bangladesh, the day after: Muhammad Yunus 'agrees' to head interim govt, turmoil escalates

Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus: PTI

TT, Calcutta, 06.08.24  : The initial jubilation over Sheikh Hasina's resignation on Monday (August 5), has given way to widespread confusion and instability. Citizens now face the challenge of navigating a dangerous power vacuum.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh on Tuesday climbed to 440, with 100 more deaths reported after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, according to local media, even as efforts were on by the army to bring the situation under control in the violence-hit nation

On Tuesday, the students urged Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin to announce the government. 

In a video posted on social media early Tuesday, Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the movement, proposed Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as the head of interim government. He said they have already talked with 84-year-old Yunus, who has agreed to take the responsibility to save Bangladesh.

"No government other than the one proposed by the students will be accepted. As we have said, no military government, or one backed by the military, or a government of fascists, will be accepted," said Nahid, flanked by two other coordinators at 4.40 am (Bangladesh time) on Tuesday. 

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin: PTI

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday dissolved the parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration, a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following massive protests against her government.

"The decision to dissolve the parliament was taken following the president's discussions with chiefs of three staff of armed forces, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society and leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement," said a statement issued by the president's office.

A view shows vandalised statues after the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.PTI

Tuesday also saw minorities under attack, with violence reported in several parts of Dhaka, Jessore, Chandpur, Kushthia, Baniachang, Sibalaya, Sripur, Chuadanga, Jhinaidaa, Ghazipur, Shariyatpur, and Koyra.

Numerous Hindu temples, households, and businesses were vandalized, women assaulted, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party killed, community leaders claimed.

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area was also damaged by the unruly mob, according to eyewitnesses. 

Bangladeshi Army soldiers patrol on the street after the government imposed a new curfew on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.: PTI

In the middle of all the political upheavals, on Tuesday, Bangladesh conducted a significant reshuffle in the top positions within the army, further intensifying the  political drama. 

Maj Gen Ziaul Ahsan, the director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), has been relieved from service, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

People gather in front of the ransacked Awami League's central office in the aftermath of the prime minister's resignation on Tuesday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh: PTI

At least 24 people, including an Indonesian national, were burnt alive by a mob in Bangladesh at a starred hotel owned by a leader of Awami League party after its leader Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country, local journalists and hospital sources said on Tuesday. 

Petrapole in Bongaon on Tuesday: PTI

A total of 45 Bangladeshi citizens returning from Calcutta on Tuesday had to deboard from a Dhaka-bound bus at Petrapole, the land port on the Indian side, as bus services between the two countries were suspended amid the turmoil in the neighbouring nation.

“However, as one of our buses, ‘Souhardya’, reached the border point at Petrapole in Bongaon, we were told the inter-country bus services have been stopped till further notice,” Abani Ghosh, owner of Shyamali Paribahan, which operates bus services from the Indian side in collaboration with the West Bengal Transport Corporation, told PTI.

A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel stands guard at the India-Bangladesh border checkpost, at Fulbari: PTI

Trade between the two countries through land ports at Petrapole, Gojadanga, Mahadipur, and Fulbari in West Bengal remained stalled on Tuesday, while some passenger movement has been reported but turnout remains low, sources said.

West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee secretary Ujjal Saha said trade through land ports in the state has been halted due to "non-clearance of goods by Bangladesh customs, resulting in hundreds of trucks being lined up in parking lots".

A Bangladeshi Army soldier patrols on the street on Tuesday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Despite the high death toll, there were signs of a return to normalcy on Tuesday, with police and army patrolling the streets. BDNews24.com news portal said and added that schools were reopened after a long period of closure due to protests against Hasina over a controversial job quota system.

Buses and other public transport were on the streets and traders were opening shops. Government vehicles were heading to offices. Many battery-run rickshaws plied the roads, it added.

A photo taken with a drone shows people gather around at the Bangladesh Parliament House in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 05 August 2024.: PTI

In light of the ongoing turbulence, the United States on Tuesday recommended its citizens not to travel to Bangladesh, witnessing civil unrest, crime, and terrorism.

Elevating its travel advisory to the highest ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ category, the US State Department has also recommended the departure of non-emergency US government employees and family me

The Eastern Railway said services of the Calcutta-Dhaka-Calcutta Maitree Express will remain cancelled on Wednesday due to the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh.

Citing a message from Bangladesh Railways, the ER said on Tuesday the services of Maitree Express, which has not been operational since July 19, will not resume services on Wednesday.

A protester throws a rubber tire on fire during a protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh: AP/PTI

Meanwhile, Hasina, who landed at the Hindon airbase on Monday hours after resigning as prime minister, was shifted to an unspecified location that has been put under tight security, said sources. She was set to travel to London from India but is now contemplating other options after the British government indicated she may not get legal protection in the UK against any possible investigation, some sources said.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 

Indian External Affairs minister said on Tuesday, "There are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals in Bangladesh, of which about 9,000 are students. The bulk of the students, however, have already returned to India in the month of July."

In a statement to the Upper House, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also briefed the MPs on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's "very short notice" request to come to India "for the moment".

He said India has instructed its border guarding forces to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex and still evolving situation in the neighbouring country.

Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia: File picture

President Mohammed Shahabuddin also said on Tuesday, the meeting with the officials,  unanimously decided to release Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who was under house arrest after being convicted in several cases.

President Shahabuddin also ordered the release of all students arrested during the ongoing protests. 

Tulip Siddiq: Labour Party member of Parliament from Hampstead and former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's niece.File picture

The pressing question now is: where will Sheikh Hasina seek refuge? Which country will offer her asylum in the midst of this political upheaval?

London is believed to be the preferred final destination of Sheikh Hasina, whose niece - Tulip Siddiq, the daughter of UK passport holder Sheikh Rehana - is based in north London as a Labour Party member of Parliament from Hampstead and Highgate and junior minister in the Treasury department.

According to UK government sources, while the country has a “proud record” of providing protection for people who need it, there is no provision within the Immigration Rules for someone to be “allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge”.

Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach as the fastest route to safety, officials indicated with reference to the asylum procedures.

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and exiled author Taslima Nasreen: File picture

Finding Hasina's situation ironic, exiled author Taslima Nasreen said in a post on X, "Hasina in order to please Islamists threw me out of my country in 1999 after I entered Bangladesh to see my mother in her deathbed and never allowed me to enter the country again. The same Islamists have been in the student movement who forced Hasina to leave the country today."

Currently, Bangladesh stands at the crossroads, with its future direction uncertain. How the situations develops from here remains to be seen, as the world watches closely.