President seems on brink as student change-makers demand his exit

Two students were injured as security forces fired gunshots at protesters trying to break through the barricades on Tuesday night in front of President Mohammed Shahabuddin's official residence Bangabhaban, demanding his resignation.

Another person was injured as police blasted sound grenades to disperse them. The police action irked the protesting students and later army men brought the situation under control and restored the barricade.

Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), confirmed the casualty report.

The two persons injured in gunshots were identified as Faisal Ahmed Bishal, 24, and Shafiqul Islam, 45. The other injured person was identified as Arif, 20.

They were undergoing treatment at the DMCH, Faruk said.

The protesters attempted to break through the security barricade in front of Bangabhaban in Dhaka around 8:30 pm. Then members of the army and police intervened to stop them.

Demand for President Mohammed Shahabuddin's resignation got stronger following his reported double talk about the 'resignation letter' of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as student change-makers ringed his palace.

Several groups of protesters Tuesday staged demonstrations in Dhaka and some other parts of the country to demand his resignation forthwith.

The leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced a five-point ultimatum, including resignation of the incumbent President. They also announced that if these demands were not met by Thursday, they will occupy the streets again.

Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah announced these demands during a mass rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital, calling for "the resignation of President Shahabuddin and the banning of the student organization Chhatra League as a terrorist group".

Students and members of the public gathered from various parts of the capital for the mass rally. The Dhaka Metropolitan branch of the National Citizens' Committee joined the rally with the same demands. The rally over, the event concluded in front of the Raju Sculpture at Dhaka University with a procession from the Central Shaheed Minar.

The five-point demands are (1) abolition of the current constitution which is based on '72 constitution and rewrite of a new one in the context of the 2024 uprising (2) permanently banning Chhatra League as a terrorist outfit within this week (3) resignation of President Shahabuddin within this week (4) "Proclamation of the Republic" within this week on the spirit of the July Revolution and Bangladesh has to be operated based on that proclamation on consensus of all the active pro-democratic political parties (5) the elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024 (10th, 11th, and 12th parliamentary elections) must be declared illegal.

They said the wealth of those elected in these elections must be confiscated, and legal measures must be taken to ensure that they can never participate in any future elections in Bangladesh.

Hasnat further said all fascist organizations, including Chhatra League, Juba League, and Awami League, as well as cultural organizations and media influenced by 'Mujibism', must be permanently eradicated from Bangladesh.

He referred to a decision made after Chhatra League and Juba League's attacks on students on July 17, asserting that there would be no room in Bangladesh for "terrorist organizations and their leader, Sheikh Hasina".

Addressing online-active Chhatra League members, Hasnat said, "What fear will you instill in us? We fought against the police and removed you from the land of Bengal. Your 'Mother of Terror,' Sheikh Hasina, has fled the country. She will be dragged back to Bangladesh for trial."

Nasir Uddin Patwari, convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said if the 1972 BAKSAL constitution is not annulled and a new constitution not implemented in consultation with political parties within this month, the Nagorik committee will build an unstoppable movement along with its stakeholders. He also demanded that those involved in enforced disappearances and murders under the Awami League rule be brought to justice.

Coordinator Sarjis Alam said, "On August 5, Shahabuddin said Sheikh Hasina's resignation letter had been submitted. But now, in what state of mind he is saying he did not have the letter? Just as Sheikh Hasina fled, Shahabuddin will also have to flee. If any fascist dares to emerge from hiding, the united student body will resist them."

Coordinator Abu Bakar Majumdar said, "Mujibism is the root ideology of fascism. Chhatra League was the vanguard in establishing fascism. Even during Sheikh Hasina's time, they continued these terrorist activities. Over the past 15 years, they had created an unstable situation in Bangladesh, causing the disappearance of thousands of people. This fascism began with Chhatra League, so they must be banned."

He added, "We pledged to abolish fascism and create a new political order, but the fascist Shahabuddin, appointed under this system, is still in power."

Coordinator Arif Sohel said the 1972 constitution was not made with public opinion. "Shahabuddin is holding on to power by protecting this 1972 constitution. He must resign."

Meanwhile, in the afternoon, hundreds of people under different banners held protest rally in front of Bangabhaban (President house) to press for his resignation. The protesters there at 5.00 pm closed the roads adjacent to the Bangabhaban and chanted slogans against him.

A student group under the banner 'Inqilab Monch', persons injured in the July-August mass uprising under the banner of 'Roktim July-24', a section of people under the banner '36 July Parishad' and other people under the banner of 'Ziaur Rahman Social Welfare Parishad' and 'Anti-Fascist Student-People Forum' staged demonstrations blockading the Bangabhaban.

The protesters said President Mohammed Shahabuddin violated his oath and now he lost the eligibility to hold the post of President. They gave an ultimatum for his resignation within 24 hours.

One of the protesters said they started holding a sit-in to press home their demands, including the resignation of the president and, the ban of Awami League and Chhatra League.

In Barishal, students of various schools, colleges and Barisal University staged protests over the same issue, according to media reports.

In Rangpur city, students from various educational institutions staged a protest rally on Monday night on the same grounds.

Around 10:45 pm, the protesters under the banner of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement gathered in front of the main gate of Begum Rokeya University and started demonstrating.

In an interview published in a Bengali newspaper President Mohammed Shahabuddin said, "I heard that she (Sheikh Hasina) resigned. But I don't have any documentary evidence."

At one point of the interview, the President said, "There is no more debate about this. It is true that the Prime Minister has left. Still, I have taken the opinion of the Supreme Court so that this question never arises."

However, the President, in his speech addressed to the nation on August 5 after Sheikh Hasina's fleeing, acknowledged that she resigned from the post of Prime Minister and he received the resignation letter.

The President also mentioned the matter in a letter sent to the Supreme Court asking its opinion over the legality of giving the oath to the interim government.

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