Bangladesh President Shahabuddin becomes top constitutional authority

Mohammed Shahabuddin, who has been the President of Bangladesh since April 2023, is now the country's only top constitutional authority following Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure to India. On Monday, Sheikh Hasina resigned and arrived in Delhi amid widespread protests that have resulted in over 400 deaths since mid-July.

A day after violent protests rocked Bangladesh and caused ex-Prime Minister Hasina to resign and flee, President Shahabuddin dissolved the 12th Parliament formed through the January 7 election, where Hasina won a fourth straight term. Hasina's arch-rival Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was also freed from house arrest.

Here are five facts about Shahabuddin:

• Born in 1949 in Pabna, which was part of East Pakistan before Bangladesh's independence, Mohammed Shahabuddin actively participated in the independence movement in 1971.
• After Bangladesh's independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the movement and Hasina's father, appointed Shahabuddin as district joint secretary in the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League, a political organization associated with the Awami League party, in 1975.
• Shahabuddin spent three years in prison following Rahman's assassination in 1975.
• A former district judge, Shahabuddin led an investigation into violence against Awami League members and supporters during the party's opposition period.
• Under Sheikh Hasina's prime ministership, Shahabuddin was elected unopposed as the President of Bangladesh.

What happened in Bangladesh?

The massive protests in Bangladesh were initially against the controversial quota system in government jobs, but soon spiralled into a broader agitation against the Awami League government after Hasina's 'razakar' remarks and the harsh police crackdown on protesters. While the initial protests calmed down after the Supreme Court scaled back the quotas, the recent unrest broke out as several students demanded Hasina's resignation.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh on Tuesday climbed to 440, with 100 more deaths reported after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, according to local media, even as efforts were on by the army to bring the situation under control in the violence-hit nation. However, the situation in Dhaka was largely calm on Tuesday as public transport resumed and schools and shops opened.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters stormed the Ganabhaban, the Prime Minister's official residence in Dhaka, as she fled the country via a military helicopter. Several images and videos released on social media showed protesters looting television sets, chairs and tables at the PM's house, while others lay on her bed, feasted on fish and biryani and looted her valuables.

Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus has agreed to be the chief adviser for the soon-to-be-formed interim government. Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the movement, said that Prof Yunus has agreed to take on this crucial responsibility at the call of the student community to save the country, as per local media.