DHAKA: Bangladesh’s new chief justice has been sworn into office after his predecessor, viewed as a loyalist of toppled premier Sheikh Hasina, quit following protester demands, a presidential official said on Sunday.

It is the latest in a string of fresh appointments to replace an old guard viewed as linked to the previous regime, ousted by the student-led uprising.

Syed Refaat Ahmed, the senior-most high court judge, was sworn into office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, the president’s press secretary Shiplu Zaman said. “He became the 25th chief justice of Bangladesh,” Zaman said.

Ahmed studied at the University of Dhaka, Oxford and Tufts University in the United States.

Ahmed’s predecessor Obaidul Hassan on Saturday became the latest to announce his departure, after hundreds of protesters gathered outside the court to demand he step down.

Interim govt moves to rein in violence; Sheikh Hasina accuses US of engineering her ouster

Appointed last year, Hassan earlier oversaw a much-criticised war crimes tribunal that ordered the execution of Hasina’s opponents, and his brother was her longtime secretary.

Attacks on minorities

Bangladesh’s new interim government said on Sunday it was working to resolve attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities reported after ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina.

Hindus are the largest minority in Bangladesh. They are considered a steadfast support base for Hasina’s party, the Awami League.

After Hasina’s abrupt resignation and flight abroad on Monday brought an end to her 15 years of rule, there were numerous reports of attacks against Hindu households, temples and businesses.

The cabinet said it would “immediately sit with the representative bodies and other concerned groups to find ways to resolve such heinous attacks”.

Sunday’s statement from the self-styled “council of advisors” tasked with steering democratic reforms in the South Asian nation of 170 million people listed numerous urgent priorities.

The government, led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, ordered “support” for the families of protesters who were killed in the weeks of demonstrations culminating in Hasina’s departure.

It directed public funds to pay for those injured in the unrest, which began in July and killed more than 450 people.

Hasina blames US for her ouster

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now residing in India, has accused the United States of playing a role in her removal from power.

In a statement quoted by the Economic Times, Hasina claimed she could have remained in office had she been willing to compromise Bangladesh’s sovereignty, particularly by surrendering Saint Martin Island and allowing US influence over the Bay of Bengal.

“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it,” the ousted Bangladeshi PM said.

“I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal,” Hasina stated, urging her countrymen not to be manipulated by radical elements.

Saint Martin Island, a small 3-square-kilometre landmass in the Bay of Bengal, is situated near the southern tip of Bangladesh.

Hasina expressed deep sorrow over the violence and unrest that followed her resignation on August 5, amid growing student protests against the controversial quota system for government jobs.

Previously, during a parliamentary session, Hasina accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a regime change in Bangladesh.

Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, echoed these concerns, suggesting that the recent protests were likely instigated by a foreign intelligence agency, though he refrained from explicitly naming the US.

He thanked New Delhi for saving her mother’s life and accused caretaker authorities of allowing “mob rule” and warned of chaos ahead without swift elections.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024