Student leaders in Bangladesh on Tuesday called for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to head a caretaker government, following the military takeover that led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country.
Sheikh Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, faced accusations of election rigging in January. This sparked massive protests over the past month, resulting in hundreds of deaths as security forces attempted to quell the unrest. On Monday, Hasina fled Bangladesh by helicopter as the military withdrew its support for her government.
Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced on state television that Hasina had resigned and the military would form an interim government. “The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed – it is time to stop the violence,” Waker said, after crowds looted Hasina’s official residence.
Student leaders, alongside the key opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), demanded that 84-year-old microfinance pioneer Yunus lead the new government. “In Dr. Yunus we trust,” wrote Asif Mahmud, a leader of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group, on Facebook.
Yunus has not yet commented on the proposal, but in a recent interview, he described Bangladesh under Hasina as “an occupied country” and expressed a sense of liberation following her departure.
The streets of Dhaka were mostly peaceful on Tuesday, with traffic resuming and shops opening, though government offices remained closed. On Monday, jubilant crowds celebrated Waker’s announcement, with millions flooding the streets of Dhaka.
The day also saw chaotic scenes of violence, with mobs launching revenge attacks on Hasina’s allies. At least 113 people were killed on Monday, making it the deadliest day since protests began in early July. Protesters stormed parliament, torched TV stations, and attacked statues and a museum dedicated to Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The unrest initially started as protests against civil service job quotas but quickly escalated into calls for Hasina’s resignation. Her government had been accused of using state institutions to entrench its power and suppress dissent.
Following Hasina’s departure, the army chief met President Mohammed Shahabuddin and key opposition leaders to discuss forming an interim government. The president also ordered the release of political prisoners, including former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, who had been jailed by Hasina for graft in 2018.
Hasina’s whereabouts remain uncertain. She reportedly fled to a military airbase near New Delhi, India, and was seeking to transit to London. However, calls for a UN-led investigation into the violence have cast doubt on her plans.
Bangladesh has a history of military coups, with the last significant one occurring in 2007, leading to a military-backed caretaker government for two years. Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center warned that Hasina’s departure creates a major power vacuum, leaving the country in uncharted territory.
