Bangladesh’s interim leader Yunus hails slain student in appeal for unity

DHAKA - Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus appealed for religious unity on Aug 10 as he embraced the weeping mother of a student shot dead by police, a flashpoint in mass

protests that ended Ms Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule

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Dr Yunus returned from Europe this week to helm a temporary administration facing the monumental challenge of ending disorder and enacting democratic reforms.

“Our responsibility is to build a new Bangladesh,” the 84-year-old Nobel laureate told reporters.

Several reprisal attacks against the country’s Hindu minority since the toppling of autocratic former premier Ms Hasina have caused alarm in neighbouring India as well as sparked fear at home.

“Don’t differentiate by religion,” Dr Yunus said.

He called for calm during a visit to the northern city of Rangpur by invoking the memory of Mr Abu Sayeed, the first student slain during July’s unrest.

“Abu Sayeed is now in every home. The way he stood, we have to do the same,” he added. “There are no differences in Abu Sayeed’s Bangladesh.”

Mr Sayeed, 25, was shot dead by police at close range on July 16 at the start of a police crackdown on student-led protests against Ms Hasina’s government.

His mother sobbed as she clung to a visibly emotional Dr Yunus, who had come to pay his respects alongside members of the “advisory” Cabinet now administering the country.

Fellow Cabinet member Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old sociology graduate who led the protests that culminated in Ms Hasina’s ouster, wept by the leader’s side.

Ms Hasina, 76, fled by helicopter to India on Aug 5 as protesters flooded Dhaka’s streets in a dramatic end to her iron-fisted rule.

Her government was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of thousands of her political opponents.

‘Safety and protection’

In the immediate aftermath of Ms Hasina’s fall, some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were attacked, a group seen by some in Muslim-majority Bangladesh as having been her supporters.

Bangladeshi Hindus account for around 8 per cent of the country’s population.

Hundreds have since arrived at India’s border, asking to be let in.

Ms Hasina’s flight has heightened rancour towards India, which played a decisive military role in securing Bangladesh’s independence, but also backed her to the hilt.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Aug 8 called for the “safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities”.

More than 450 people were killed in the unrest leading up to Ms Hasina’s departure, including dozens of police officers killed during clampdowns on demonstrations.

The caretaker administration that Dr Yunus helms has said that restoration of law and order is its “first priority”.

Complicating its efforts is a strike declared on Aug 6 by the police union, saying its members would not return to work until their safety was assured.

Bangladesh’s police force said over half of the country’s police stations had reopened by Aug 10.

The buildings are being guarded by soldiers from the army, an institution held in higher public regard than the police for opting not to forcibly quell the protests.

“We are happy that police are returning to their duty,” university student Umar Faruk, 22, told AFP.

“Police are needed to maintain law and order.

“But it’s also a matter of concern for us whether the police can gain the trust of the people.”

Two attempted jailbreaks were staged at prisons north of the capital Dhaka this week, with over 200 inmates fleeing one facility.

Dr Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance, credited with helping millions of Bangladeshis out of grinding poverty.

He took office on Aug 8 as “chief adviser” to a caretaker administration comprising fellow civilians, bar one retired brigadier-general, and has said he wants to hold elections “within a few months”.

He will have further challenges, with the media reporting that other key officials have also left their posts.

Bloomberg News reported on Aug 10 that Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder has resigned, citing people familiar with the matter.

The resignation comes days after protesters stormed the central bank’s headquarters.

Mr Talukder stepped down on Aug 9 and cited “personal reasons” for the departure, the report added, citing unnamed sources.

But his resignation has not been accepted, given the importance of the position, finance ministry adviser Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters. Reuters could not contact Mr Talukder.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan of Bangladesh’s top court also said he had agreed to resign “in principle” after an ultimatum to do so from protesters, broadcaster Jamuna TV reported.

Appointed to helm the Supreme Court in 2023 and seen as a Hasina loyalist, he was told to step down by protesters who gathered outside the court in Dhaka.

“No one should do anything that pits the Supreme Court against the mass uprising of the students and the people,” said student protest leader Asif Nazrul, now serving in Dr Yunus’ government. AFP, REUTERS