Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved Parliament on Tuesday and appointed Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as the head of an interim government, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abruptly resigned and fled the country following weeks of violent protests.
The decision was made in a meeting President Shahabuddin had with chiefs of the three services and a 13-member delegation of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Bangabhaban (presidential palace), President’s Press Secretary Md. Joynal Abedin said late Tuesday night.
The other members of the interim government will be finalised after consultations with various political parties, the president’s press secretary said.
While the Army took charge on Monday, incidents of violence were reported overnight in many parts of the country and the death toll due to the unrest since mid-July rose to 440.
A number of Hindu temples, households and businesses were vandalised, women assaulted and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party headed by Hasina were killed in the violence in Bangladesh after she fled the country, according to two community leaders in Dhaka.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement that spearheaded the massive protests has earlier said that 84-year-old Yunus had agreed to head the interim government.
Yunus is currently out of the country but welcomed the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, describing the development as the “second liberation” of the country.