Protesters in Bangladesh have seized Banga Bhaban, the presidential palace, demanding President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s resignation.
#WATCH | Dhaka: Protesters in Bangladesh sieged Banga Bhaban, the presidential palace, demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, late last night
The army blocked them with the barricade after the protesters took a stand outside Banga Bhaban and started… pic.twitter.com/kqGb7ppcsN
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2024
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, the group that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, announced a 5-point demand, 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 barricades.
The protesters stood 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.Â
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 in the nomination of the Awami League.Â
The Anti-discrimination Student Movement has demanded that the 1972 constitution be abolished and called for writing a new constitution in 2024. Students have also called for banning the Awami League’s student organisation, Bangladesh Chatra League, and for Mohammed Shahabuddin’s resignation.
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.Â
The protests, led mainly by students, erupted in Bangladesh in July. They demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs and took the form of anti-government protests. After mounting protests, Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s PM on August 5 and established an interim government.Â
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.
