What’s behind the political crisis in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh’s president dissolved Parliament Tuesday, clearing nan measurement for caller elections to switch nan longtime premier curate who resigned and fled nan state pursuing weeks of demonstrations against her norm that descended into violence.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin besides ordered nan merchandise of guidance leader Khaleda Zia from location arrest. Zia, a longtime rival of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was convicted connected corruption charges by Hasina’s authorities successful 2018.

On Tuesday, immoderate elder positions successful nan subject were reshuffled. The student protesters said they would not let immoderate military-backed government.

The streets of Dhaka, nan capital, appeared calmer Tuesday, pinch nary reports of caller unit arsenic jubilant protesters thronged nan ousted leader’s residence. Some posed for selfies pinch soldiers guarding nan building, wherever a time earlier angry protesters had looted furniture, paintings, flowerpots and chickens.

Dhaka’s main airdrome resumed operations aft an eight-hour suspension.

The Bangladesh Police Association said it was launching a onslaught crossed nan state because of a deficiency of information aft galore constabulary stations were attacked connected Monday and “many” officers were killed, though it didn’t springiness immoderate number of nan dead.

It said officers would not return to activity unless their information is assured. The relation besides apologized for convulsive constabulary attacks connected student protesters, saying officers had been “forced to unfastened fire” and had been formed arsenic nan “villain.”

As nan state waited for a caller authorities to emerge, a cardinal student leader said protesters wanted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to caput an interim government. Yunus — who is presently successful Paris for nan Olympics — called Hasina’s resignation nan country’s “second liberation day.” He could not instantly beryllium reached for comment, but a cardinal organizer of nan protests, Nahid Islam, said Yunus had agreed.

Islam said protesters would propose much names for nan Cabinet and suggested that it would beryllium difficult for those successful powerfulness to disregard their wishes.

Hasina fled to India by chopper connected Monday arsenic protesters defied subject curfew orders to march connected nan capital, pinch thousands of demonstrators yet storming her charismatic residence and different buildings associated pinch her statement and family.

Protests against a quota strategy for authorities jobs, which critics said favored group pinch connections to her party, grew into a broader situation to her 15-year rule, which was marked by quality authorities abuses, corruption and allegations of rigged elections amid a sadistic crackdown connected her opponents.

A bloody crackdown connected nan demonstrations led to clashes that near scores dead, further fueling nan movement.

Military main Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman said he was taking impermanent power of nan state aft Hasina resigned, and he and nan country’s figurehead president promised an interim authorities would beryllium formed soon to preside complete caller elections.

But nan chaos near successful nan aftermath of Hasina’s ouster has created a powerfulness vacuum and it is unclear what it would mean for nan South Asian federation pinch a history of subject norm and messy authorities which successful nan past has pushed nan state into galore crises.

The subject wields important governmental power successful Bangladesh, which has faced much than 20 coups aliases coup attempts since its independency from Pakistan successful 1971.

It was not clear if Hasina’s resignation aliases nan subject chief’s calls for calm would beryllium capable to extremity nan turmoil, and whether nan service would person immoderate domiciled successful nan interim authorities aliases if it would effort to power it from outside. The student protesters person warned that they would not let immoderate military-backed government.

Zaman said nan subject would analyse each nan killings and punish those responsible, giving successful to nan weekslong request of nan protesters.

Earlier Tuesday, protestation leader Sarjis Alam told reporters that they had asked nan president to dissolve Parliament by 3 p.m., and threatened to renew their demonstrations different arsenic they activity to “repair nan state.”

“We person projected nan sanction of Muhammad Yunus pinch his consent. Now if personification other comes from among nan MPs, we will not let that to happen,” he said.

Yunus, a longtime force of nan ousted leader, was accused of corruption by her authorities and tried connected charges he said were motivated by vengeance. He received nan Nobel Prize successful 2006 for activity pioneering microlending.

Amidst nan celebrations, student Juairia Karim said it was a historical day. “Today we are getting what we deserve,” she said. “Everyone is happy, everyone is cheerful.”

But nan state was still counting nan toll of weeks of unit that produced immoderate of its worst bloodshed since its 1971 warfare of independence. Many fearfulness that Hasina’s departure could lead to moreover much instability successful nan densely populated nation, which is already dealing pinch precocious unemployment, corruption and ambiance change.

Violence conscionable earlier and aft Hasina’s resignation near astatine slightest 109 group dead, including 14 constabulary officers, and hundreds of others injured, according to media reports which could not beryllium independently confirmed.

In nan southwestern territory of Satkhira, 596 prisoners and detainees escaped from a jailhouse aft an onslaught connected nan installation Monday evening, nan United News of Bangladesh agency reported, arsenic constabulary stations and information officials were attacked crossed nan country.

Many constabulary successful Dhaka assembled successful a cardinal barracks successful fearfulness of attacks aft respective stations were burned aliases vandalized.

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There are increasing fears among nan country’s Hindu minority, which has been targeted successful nan past during governmental unrest and which has agelong been seen arsenic pro-Hasina, that they could again look attacks. Local reports of unit against Hindu leaders and different minorities could not beryllium confirmed.

“Hindus are very afraid,” Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, leader of nan Bangladesh branch of a Hindu movement, told nan IANS news service. “Hindus are very acrophobic that they could beryllium attacked anytime. This is because whenever nan authorities falls, minorities are affected.”

The EU ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whitley, said connected nan societal media level X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, that European diplomats were “very concerned” astir reports of anti-minority violence.

Opposition politicians person publically called connected group not to onslaught number groups, while student leaders asked supporters to defender Hindu temples and different places of worship.

The main guidance Bangladesh Nationalist Party connected Tuesday urged group to workout restraint successful what it said was a “transitional infinitesimal connected our antiauthoritarian path.”

“It would conclusion nan tone of nan gyration that toppled nan illegitimate and autocratic authorities of Sheikh Hasina if group determine to return nan rule into their ain hands without owed process,” Tarique Rahman, nan party’s acting chairman, wrote connected nan societal media level X.

In a connection Monday, nan United Nation’s quality authorities chief, Volker Türk, said nan modulation of powerfulness successful Bangladesh must beryllium “in statement pinch nan country’s world obligations” and “inclusive and unfastened to nan meaningful information of each Bangladeshis.”

The students said they hoped to hole nan country.

“I deliberation nan adjacent leader of nan state should study from nan students that if anyone becomes corrupt, a traitor, aliases takes immoderate action against nan country, they will look nan aforesaid fate,” said Mohammad Jahirul Islam, a student successful Dhaka.

Hasina, 76, was elected to a 4th consecutive word successful January polls that were boycotted by her main opponents. Thousands of guidance members were jailed earlier nan voting, and nan U.S. and nan U.K. denounced nan consequence arsenic not credible, though nan authorities defended it.

Hasina landed astatine a subject airfield adjacent New Delhi connected Monday aft leaving Dhaka and met Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, nan Indian Express newspaper reported. It said Hasina was taken to a safe location and planned to recreation to nan United Kingdom.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed her beingness successful nan state but did not bespeak whether she intends to stay.

He told Parliament that Hasina “at very short announcement requested support to travel for nan infinitesimal to India.”

The U.S. issued a caller recreation advisory for Bangladesh connected Tuesday, asking its citizens not to recreation to nan state “due to civil unrest, crime, and terrorism.”