Bangladesh violence has resulted in the death of over 400 in the last month.
Dhaka:
The Chief Justice of Bangladesh, Obaidul Hassan, resigned today following massive protests by students who surrounded the Supreme Court. Mr Hassan agreed to resign “in principle” after an ultimatum to do so from protesters. He was appointed to helm the Supreme Court last year and is seen as a loyalist to ousted premier Sheikh Hasina.
Hundreds of protesters, largely comprising students, surrounded the Bangladesh Supreme Court, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Justice. The situation escalated rapidly, with reports suggesting the Chief Justice fled the premises before announcing his resignation.
The Bangladesh protests were sparked by a full-court meeting called by the Chief Justice without consulting the newly formed interim government. Student protestors alleged that the judges of the court are part of a conspiracy, prompting outrage and demands for accountability.
As tensions mounted, the scheduled full-court meeting was abruptly called off. Protestors, undeterred, continued to besiege the Supreme Court, giving the Chief Justice a one-hour ultimatum to step down.
The fresh protests come days after a student-led uprising against government hiring rules resulted in Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus taking charge of a caretaker government.
At least 450 people were killed in more than a month of deadly protests that ended the autocratic rule of 76-year-old prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina faces allegations of murder, forced disappearance, money laundering and corruption, and must face the law, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, a senior member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party said.
Hasina, one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders, resigned and fled Bangladesh on August 5 under pressure from millions of protesters who had taken to the streets for weeks to demand she step down.
An interim government was appointed in Bangladesh Thursday, led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus. Under the constitution, an election needs to be called within 90 days, although Yunus, the military – which backs the interim government – and the president haven’t commented on when elections will be held.