B'desh President Shahabuddin dissolves parliament, clears the way for fresh elections
Dhaka, Aug 6: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday dissolved the parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration, a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following massive protests against her government.
"The President dissolved the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) under an executive order," a Bangabhaban (presidential palace) spokesman told PTI.
"The decision to dissolve the parliament was taken following the president's discussions with chiefs of three staff of armed forces, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society and leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement," said a statement issued by the president's office.
Officials said a full-fledged interim government is expected to be announced later Tuesday. The president's move to dissolve the parliament has cleared the way for fresh elections.
The spokesman also said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief and ex-premier Khaleda Zia was freed from house arrest. The 79-year-old former prime minister has long battled various ailments, including issues related to the kidney, lung and heart.
The process to release those arrested Since July 1 has started, and many have already been released, he added.
The Students Against Discrimination group earlier set a deadline for dissolving the 12th parliament which was formed after the January 7 elections installing Hasina as the premier for the fourth straight term.
In a video posted on social media early Tuesday, Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the movement, proposed Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as the head of interim government.
He said they have already talked with 84-year-old Yunus, who has agreed to take the responsibility to save Bangladesh.
"No government other than the one proposed by the students will be accepted. As we have said, no military government, or one backed by the military, or a government of fascists, will be accepted," said Nahid, flanked by two other coordinators.
Yunus is currently out of the country but welcomed the ouster of Hasina’s regime, describing the development as the “second liberation" of the country. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign through the Grameen Bank, a mode; which was replicated across continents.
He has agreed to lead the interim government as its chief adviser, the Daily Star reported, citing a source.
"If the students can sacrifice so much, if the people of the country can sacrifice so much, then I also have some responsibility. Then I told the students that I can take the responsibility," Yunus said.
He had been in a protracted row with Hasina’s government due to obscure reasons while authorities initiated a series of investigations against him after she came to power in 2008. He was charged under dozens of cases. In January, Yunus was sentenced to six months in jail by a court on charges of labour law violation.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the anti-government protests on Tuesday climbed to 440, with 100 more deaths reported after Hasina's departure, according to local media, even as efforts were on by the army to bring the situation under control in the violence-hit nation.
Despite the high death toll, there were signs of a return to normalcy on Tuesday, with police and army patrolling the streets, BDNews24.com news portal said.
The situation in Dhaka was largely calm on Tuesday after a day of unrest and a night of tension. Buses and other public transport were on the streets and traders were opening shops. Government vehicles were heading to offices. Many battery-run rickshaws plied the roads, it added.
Additional IGP AKM Shahidur Rahman was on Tuesday appointed as the focal person of the Bangladesh Police. He will act as the coordinator within the police force during this crisis period. The move comes as senior officials of the police force are trying to normalize police operations by overcoming anger, resentment, and fear.
Bengali language daily Prothom Alo reported that at least 109 people were killed in clashes in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, during the anti-discrimination student movement on Monday.
The newspaper earlier reported the death of 98 people till 12 pm on Sunday. Another 16 deaths were reported in the night. The total death toll stood at 114 on Sunday.
"With this, the total death toll stood at 440 in 21 days from July 16 to yesterday,” the paper said.
The clashes between protesters demanding Hasina's resignation over the quota system in government jobs and the ruling Awami League supporters in different parts of Bangladesh erupted on Sunday days after more than 200 people were killed in violent clashes between police and mostly student protesters in July.
As the news of Hasina’s departure spread on Monday, hundreds of people broke into her residence, vandalising and looting the interiors, providing dramatic expression to the anti-government protests.
Hasina's private residence Sudha Sadan and other establishments were attacked, vandalised and set on fire in the capital. The residences and business establishments of ministers, party MPs and leaders of Hasina's Awami League government were also attacked in Dhaka and outside Dhaka.
At least 24 people were burnt alive last night in a hotel owned by a leader of Awami League in western Joshor district, hospital sources said.
The educational institutions were reopened on Tuesday following a long period of closure due to violence surrounding the student movement. However, the educational institutions in Dhaka saw low attendance, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
Attendance in the ministry offices was significantly low, and ministers and Members of Parliament were notably absent. Those who did come to work were filled with fear and anxiety, it added.
Army members were seen on duty alongside police officers at the Home Ministry office.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
