Protesters in Bangladesh demand President Shahabuddin's resignation

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: Protesters in Bangladesh have besieged Bangabhaban, the presidential palace, demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the group leading the effort to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, announced a five-point demand, including the President's resignation, at a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.

Later that night, they moved towards Bangabhaban, where the army blocked them with barricades. The protesters took a stand outside Bangabhaban, chanting slogans demanding the President's resignation. "The President is a crony of Hasina's authoritarian government. He must resign immediately," a protester said.

Mohammed Shahabuddin, also known as Chuppu, is the 16th President of Bangladesh. A jurist, civil servant, and politician, he was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election as the nominee of the Awami League.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has called for the abolition of the 1972 constitution and the drafting of a new constitution in the context of 2024. They have also demanded the banning of the Awami League's student organisation, Bangladesh Chhatra League, and the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin. Additionally, they have called for the elections held in 2014, 2018, and 2024 under Sheikh Hasina to be declared illegal and for the disqualification of Members of Parliament who won in these elections. They have called for the proclamation of the Republic in keeping with the spirit of the July-August uprising.

The protests, led mainly by students, erupted in Bangladesh in July, initially demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs, and have since evolved into anti-government protests. In the wake of mounting protests, Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh's Prime Minister on August 5, followed by the establishment of an interim government. 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.

By RSS/ANI