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Bangladesh Unrest: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government has hailed student protests who toppled the regime of deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Talking to reporters after a meeting with students on Sunday night, Yunus, 84, said the way students brought down Hasina’s regime was “unparalleled”.
“I told them (students) that I respect you, admire you. What you have did is absolutely unparalleled, and now, because you have ordered me to do this (to head the interim government) I humbly accept,” Yunus told reporters while recounting his conversation with the students.
The student revolution brought the collapse of the government, there is no doubt about that, he said.
Asked about the wave of resignations of high-ranking public officials, including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and head of Bangladesh’s central bank, Yunus asserted that all these were “conducted legally”.
“They (students) wanted to have a new court, so they went and asked the Chief Justice to resign and put pressure on him,” Yunus said.
‘I’m sure the students will find a legal way to justify all this, because all the steps were followed, legally speaking,” the Nobel laureate said.
The Chief Justice and other high-ranking public officials, believed to loyalists of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party, were reportedly issued ultimatums by students to quit.
Referring to Hasina’s ouster, Yunus lauded the student-led protests for chasing away the “monster”. “Finally, the monster is gone,” he said while referring to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.
On Saturday, the interim leader also condemned the attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, terming the violence as “heinous”, and urged the youth to protect all Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist families from harm.
Yunus’s remarks came amidst reports of widespread attacks on the members of the minority communities in Bangladesh following the August 5 fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in the country.
According to two Hindu organisations — Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad –Hindus and other minorities faced at least 205 incidents of attacks in 52 districts of the country since Hasina’s exit.
Reaching out to students who are at the forefront of the protests, Yunus cautioned them not to let their efforts be sabotaged by those seeking to undermine their progress, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
“There are many standing by to make your efforts futile. Don’t fail this time,” he said while addressing the students at the Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur city.
On Thursday last, Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh and assumed charge as the head of the country’s interim government.
Yunus, 84, took oath at a ceremony in Dhaka on Thursday night, amid massive unrest in the country after weeks of student-led protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.
In his address to the nation, Yunus emphasised bringing about an early return to normalcy and ensuring the protection of the Hindu minority.
A 16-member council of advisers was announced to assist Yunus in running the state’s affairs. The council includes two student leaders– Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud — who were at the forefront of the student-led protests.
(With inputs from agencies)
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