The walls seemed to be closing in on President Mohammed Shahabuddin as calls for his resignation grew louder yesterday.
As more and more people joined demonstrations for his resignation, the government yesterday called him out on his “lies” about Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister.
It all began after Manab Zamin on Sunday published an exclusive interview of him saying that he only heard that Hasina had resigned, but there was no evidence of her resignation.
As several hundred protesters under the banners Raktim July 2024 and Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee attempted to break through the security barriers in front of the Bangabhaban around 8:30 o’ clock last night, police detonated stun grenades.
The protesters then chased the police away.
Five people, including two journalists, suffered minor injuries, witnesses said. Police also hit the protesters with batons and used tear gas shells.
Army personnel were seen trying to calm the situation.
At around 11:30pm, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, two of the most influential organisers of the student movement against discrimination, arrived and requested the protesters to leave, promising that a change would come in two days.
By midnight, most of the protesters left.
Hasnat told the protesters that he would talk to political parties in the presence of the army chief, and by Thursday, choose someone who could be the president.
Sarjis said, “We will discuss and appoint a person to an important post like that of the president. If emotion wins over strategy, we as well as the country will get hurt in the long run.”
Unless a rational decision is made by Thursday, “we will join you on the streets”.
On Sunday, Manab Zamin’s political magazine Janatar Chokh ran an interview of President Shahabuddin with its Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury.
“I tried [to collect the resignation letter] many times but failed. Maybe she did not have the time,” Shahabuddin said.
The following day, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul termed the president’s remark a lie and that the president’s comments were akin to misconduct and if he stuck to his guns, the government should reconsider his position.
According to section 57(a) of the constitution, the prime minister’s office shall become vacant if he/she resigns from the office at any time by handing the resignation letter to the president.
Yesterday, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy that the interim government agreed with Asif’s statement.
He, however, stated that the government was yet to make any move to remove Shahabuddin.
Earlier in the day, student leaders demonstrated at the Central Shaheed Minar. They threatened to take to the streets if the government failed to meet their demands within this week.
They said the president lost his moral authority to stay in office.
In another development, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Information Adviser Nahid Islam held a half-hour long meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed at the latter’s Supreme Court office around 2:00pm, said Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan, SC registrar general.
He did not say what was discussed at the meeting.
As per section 106 of the constitution, if at any time it appears to the president that a question of law has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to the Appellate Division for consideration and the division may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report its opinion thereon to the President.
PROTESTS IN DHAKA AND OUTSIDE
In the capital, demonstrations in front of the Bangabhaban started in the afternoon and the Gulistan road was blocked in the evening.
Protesters under the banner Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee marched from Dhaka University campus towards the Bangabhaban, reports UNB.
Police stopped them at the High Court Mazar intersection, but they managed to march to the Bangabhaban. They attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Bangabhaban, but the members of law enforcement agencies barred them.
The demonstrators then held a rally outside.
Another group, Raktim July 24, organised a separate sit-in there, demanding the president’s removal, the UNB reports.
There were demonstrations in other parts of Dhaka and in different other districts.
In the morning, a group of around 15 protesters gathered near the Bangabhaban, chanting slogans denouncing the president.
Saied Ahmed Sarker, one of the demonstrators, said they also demanded a ban on the Awami League and Chhatra League.
In Barishal, school, college, and university students held a rally at the Ashwini Kumar Hall, demanding the president’s resignation and a ban on Chhatra League.
Rajshahi University students demonstrated on the campus.
Similar protests were held in Jhenidah, where students took to the streets around 4:30pm.
Daily Star
