Protesters gathered at the barricade in front of Bangabhaban, the residence and workplace of the President, shouting slogans demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Wednesday. REUTERS
A protest outside the Bangladeshi president's home demanding his resignation escalated when demonstrators clashed with riot police while attempting to storm the compound, resulting in 30 injuries. President Mohammed Shahabuddin's powers are largely ceremonial, but he played a crucial role during the August student revolution that ousted autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina. Shahabuddin announced that his former ally had resigned on the day she fled to neighboring India, paving the way for the caretaker administration currently governing the South Asian nation. However, last week he admitted in a local media interview that he had not seen a written resignation letter from Hasina, raising questions about the legality of her resignation. Protesters began assembling outside Shahabuddin's compound in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday, demanding his resignation and accusing him of remaining loyal to Hasina and her Awami League party. "Since the student-led protest overthrew the fascist regime, there shouldn't be a president from that regime," said Faruk Hossain, a student leader at the protest, to AFP. "He must be replaced by a people's president." Several hundred protesters tried to breach a security cordon and storm the compound shortly before midnight on Wednesday. Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Talebur Rahman reported that at least 25 police officers were injured by protesters. "Nine are still undergoing treatment. The protesters threw stones and attacked them indiscriminately," he told AFP. "The situation is now calm, and there is adequate security in place." Another five people were treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, according to police official Md Faruq. Local media reports indicated that this number included three protesters and two journalists. The protest dispersed after leaders of Students Against Discrimination, the group credited with igniting the uprising against Hasina, visited the site and pledged to find a replacement for Chuppu. "We will talk to political parties in front of the military chief by Thursday and then choose someone who will hold office," student leader Hasnat Abdullah was quoted as saying in the Daily Star newspaper. His colleague Sarjis Alam reportedly told the crowd to remain calm. "If emotion takes over strategy, the country will suffer," he added, according to the Daily Star report. Several top officials seen as Hasina loyalists were removed from their positions following Hasina's ouster, including Supreme Court justices and the country's central bank chief. Their departures typically followed student-led protests outside their homes or offices.
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