Bangladesh On The Boil Again: After Hasina, Students Now Demand President's Resignation & Suspension Of 1972 Constitution; Protests Erupt

Protests have erupted in Bangladesh, with hundreds of demonstrators attempting to storm the presidential palace, demanding President Mohammed Shahabuddin's resignation.

What triggered the unrest?

As per a report by PTI, the unrest stems from Shahabuddin's recent comments on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's departure, where he claimed to have no documentary evidence of her resignation before she fled the country on August 5 amidst mass protests.

The situation turned violent as protesters, affiliated with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, clashed with police.

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Police had to resort to lathi charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd resulting in injuries and property damage.

The movement has given Shahabuddin a seven-day ultimatum to step down and has demanded the scrapping of Bangladesh's 1972 Constitution

Student demands

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which spearheaded the campaign against Hasina, rallied at Central Shaheed Minar, demanding Shahabuddin's resignation. Their five-point demand includes:

- Immediate scrapping of the 1972 Constitution

- Replacement with a new constitution

- Resignation of President Shahabuddin

'Protestors would return to the streets with full force'

Reported by PTI, Hasnat Abdullah, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, stated, "Our first point (of the five-point demand) is immediate scrapping of the 'pro-Mujib (Bangladesh's founding leader) 1972 Constitution' which kept Chuppu (president's nickname) in office... The (1972) Constitution will have to be replaced by writing a new one against the backdrop of 2024 mass upheaval."

Abdullah warned, "The protestors would return to the streets with full force if the government failed to meet the demands by this week."

The government has responded to the protests with criticism and reassessments. Law affairs adviser Asif Nazrul condemned President Mohammed Shahabuddin's comments as "falsehood" and a breach of his oath, suggesting the interim government may reevaluate Shahabuddin's fitness for office.

(With PTI inputs)