Protesters in Bangladesh have seiged Banga Bhaban, the presidential palace, demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
Earlier on October 22 afternoon, Anti-discrimination Student Movement, the group led to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, announced 5-point demands, including the resignation of the President, at a rally in central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.
Later at night, they moved towards Banga Bhaban. The army blocked them with the barricade. The protesters took a stand outside the Banga Bhaban and started chanting slogans demanding the Bangladesh President’s resignation. “The President is a crony of Hasina’s authoritarian government. He must resign immediately”, a protester said.
Mohammed Shahabuddin, natively known as Chuppu, is the 16th President of Bangladesh. A jurist, civil servant, and politician, he was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election on the nomination of the Awami League.
The Anti-discrimination Student Movement has demanded that the constitution written in 1972 be abolished and called for writing a new constitution in the context of 2024.
Students have called for banning Awami League’s student organisation, Bangladesh Chatra League. They have called for the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin.
They have said that the election held in 2024, 2018 and 2024 under Sheikh Hasina must be declared illegal, and Members of Parliament who secured wins in these elections should be disqualified. They have called for announcing the Proclamation of the Republic in keeping with the spirit of the July-August uprising.
The protests, led majorly by students, erupted in Bangladesh in July, demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, and took the shape of anti-government protests.
In the wake of mounting protests, Sheikh Hasina tendered her resignation as Bangladesh’s PM on August 5, followed by the establishment of an interim government.
Sheikh Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. On August 8, Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.
(With inputs from ANI)
