Bangladesh tense as protesters storm President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s residence, seek his resignation

Bangladesh is witnessing renewed tensions after hundreds of protesters stormed Bangabhaban, or the President’s residence, in Dhaka on Tuesday night, demanding the removal of President Mohammed Shahabuddin for “lying” about deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation in August.

The renewed protests came months after the political crisis in August ended Sheikh Hasina’s 16-year reign and prompted her to flee to India.

Last week, President Shahabuddin told a local newspaper that he did not have any evidence of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5 and had only heard about it.

“I tried (to collect the resignation letter) many times but failed. Maybe she did not have the time,” he said.

However, in an address to the public on the night of August 5, Shahabuddin said: “You know Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tendered her resignation letter to the president and I have received it.”

On Monday, Asif Nazrul, the Law Affairs Adviser, said the President ‘lied” and his remarks were “tantamount to violation of his oath of office”, adding that there was a constitutional provision to remove him from office.

According to Bangladeshi media outlets, the protests began on Tuesday evening with protesters marching towards Bangabhaban. As more people joined the demonstration, the police resorted to firing stun grenades in a bid to disperse the crowd.

But the protesters marched ahead, leading to clashes with law enforcement personnel.

The Daily Star newspaper said that at least five people, including two journalists, were injured, while the police used tear gas and batons against the protesters.

Late Tuesday night, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam — two of the most prominent figures of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement which spearheaded the campaign to oust Sheikh Hasina — arrived at the protest site and requested the demonstrators to leave, The Daily Star reported.

While Hasnat assured of talking to political parties to choose a new President by Thursday, Sarjis said that if no one was appointed by the deadline, they would also “join you in the streets”.

The two student leaders also laid a five-point demand, including the scrapping of Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution.

“Our first point (of the five-point demand) is immediate scrapping of the ‘pro-Mujb (Bangladesh’s founding leader) 1972 Constitution’ which kept Chuppu (president’s nickname) in office,” PTI news agency quoted Hasnat as saying.

“The (1972) Constitution will have to be replaced by writing a new one against the backdrop of 2024 mass upheaval.”