City Dhaka Financial News

Sheikh Hasina's escape to India following a coup, her arch rival Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister whose Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is the main opposition party in the country, has been released from years of house arrest. Her party is likely to win the elections which the interim government will now hold.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, and the student leadership which led the protests that ousted the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh earlier this week are at loggerheads over general elections, according to people in the know. Sources told ET that Rahman is in a hurry to hold elections that may enable him to become the next PM, and is worried that «pro-BNP» and «pro-Jamaat» sentiments may dilute if elections are delayed. However, the student leadership has a different view. It does not have a political structure and wants time to create a party before contesting the polls.

political turmoil in Bangladesh not only toppled the government but also claimed many casualties. Among those who lost their lives in the uprising, was actor Shanto Khan. The actor and his father Selim Khan perished from mob violence on Monday. Khan Sr was the chairman of Laxmipur Model Union Parishad and a film producer. Local media reports indicate that Shanto and his father were trying to escape when they encountered a hostile crowd at Forkkabad Bazaar in Balia Union Parishad. According to a Dhaka Tribune article, they fired shots from a pistol in self-defense but were subsequently attacked and beaten to death by another mob near Bagara Bazaar.

Bangladesh is set to get a new, interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus on Thursday, after weeks of tumultuous student protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India. Yunus, 84, Bangladesh's only Nobel laureate and a harsh critic of Hasina, was recommended for the job by the student protesters who led the campaign against Hasina. He was expected to be sworn in as chief adviser along with a team of advisers later on Thursday in an interim government which the army chief said may include 15 members, although discussions on the names continued till late on Wednesday.

Every crisis comes twinned with opportunity—not just to solve the proximate problem, but also to effect a paradigm shift, away from the conditions that led to the crisis. So it is with Bangladesh.

Nobel Laureate economist Muhammad Yunus is expected to return to Bangladesh on Thursday, Bangladesh-based Dhaka Tribune reported. Yunus will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on an Emirates flight from Dubai at 2.10 pm, subject to the flight being on time, Dhaka Tribune reported, quoting a statement from Yunus Centre. Yunus' return comes as he is set to take on a significant role as head of the interim government, following a meeting with President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Following a proposal from the student movement's coordinators, Yunus' name was finalised late on Tuesday as the head of the interim government. The government will be formed once decisions regarding the other members are made. The interim government will be sworn in on Thursday, the Bangladesh Army chief announced on Wednesday.

Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has said that it continues to remain operational and released helpline numbers for Indian nationals who reside there. According to sources, the diplomats and officials of the Indian High Commission continue to remain in Bangladesh, while non-essential staff and their families returned on Wednesday morning. The sources said, «To reiterate all the helplines of HCI Dhaka are working. The helpline numbers are being shared again below for reference: +8801958383679 +8801958383680 +8801937400591.»

Bangladesh capital, the said The Indian High Commission remains functional, the sources said. Bangladesh has been witnessing rapid political developments in the last few days. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post on Monday and landed at the Hindon airbase near Delhi following unprecedented anti-government protests

razakar," a reference to collaborators who had sided with Pakistan during the war of independence—came as security forces were stepping up a crackdown on protesters demonstrating over the lack of jobs and soaring inflation. The inflammatory word turned a protest that had been narrowly focused on economic grievances into a movement that channeled broader suppressed rage over Hasina’s governance.

Bangladesh deteriorates following Sheikh Hasina's resignation, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, has urged India to arrest the former Prime Minister and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, and return them to Bangladesh, as reported by Dhaka Tribune. At a press conference held at the SCBA auditorium, Khokon stated, «We want to maintain a positive relationship with the people of India. Please arrest Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who fled the country, and send them back to Bangladesh.» He also accused Hasina of causing numerous deaths in Bangladesh, adding, «Sheikh Hasina has killed many people in Bangladesh.»

Check all the Bangladesh news LIVE updates here on LiveMint.As the situation in Bangladesh worsened following Sheikh Hasina's resignation amid heavy protests, several former diplomats and experts have raised concerns about the scenario and asked the Indian government to remain vigilant.Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, who also served as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, also elaborated on the situation and opined that the possibility of foreign hands behind the unrest can't be ruled out."Bangladesh has seen many such crises in the past... It has happened because of many reasons, basically their internal ones.

Bangladesh’s prime minister resigned and fled the country Monday after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure threatens to create even more instability in the densely populated nation on India’s border that is already dealing with a series of crises, from high unemployment to corruption and climate change.

Sheikh Hasina arriving in India, a video of popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, went viral on social media. In the video, Rathee praised Bangladesh for its development and happiness index. Poonawalla shared the video on X with the caption “Joker of the century!”

Nahid Islam, a student from Dhaka University's Sociology Department, has emerged as a pivotal figure in Bangladesh’s recent political upheaval. His leadership of the Students Against Discrimination movement has made him a central player in the protests that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. Earlier, Nahid vowed to ensure the country of 170 million never returns to what he called «Fascist rule» and asked fellow students to protect its Hindu minority and their places of worship. We won't betray the blood shed by the martyrs for our cause. We will create a new democratic Bangladesh through our promise of security of life, social justice and a new political landscape." The Rise of Nahid Islam

Bangladesh on Monday during unrest, according to Dhaka Tribune. The country announced on Monday that the clashes between demonstrators and members of the Awami League claimed the lives of at least 96 people in police firings. After fighting broke out between police and miscreants on Monday, at least 18 people were slain on the outskirts of the capital in the Savar and Dhamrai regions.

Bangladesh unrest, the central government has convened an all-party meeting on Tuesday. According to official sources, Ministry of External Affairs S Jaishankar will brief about the situation. At least 135 people were killed in Bangladesh on Monday during unrest with police firings, mob beatings, and arson across the country, according to Dhaka Tribune. The country announced on Monday that the clashes between demonstrators and members of the Awami League claimed the lives of at least 96 people in police firings.

Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh for India on Monday seemingly just ahead of protesters storming their way into the Prime Minister's residence in Dhaka as month-long protests led by students over job quotas boiled over into an uprising. As many as 300 people have been killed since the protest began in July. A plane carrying Hasina, 76, landed at the Hindon Indian Air Force base just outside the capital as New Delhi worked out a safe passage for its long-standing ally in the region. Her final destination isn't clear. While some reports said she may go into exile in London, there is a possibility that she might depart for a destination in eastern or southern Europe. Belarus may be one of the possible destinations. Back in Dhaka, the country's army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on state television that, with Sheikh Hasina having resigned, the military would form a caretaker government, following meetings with political parties.

Sheikh Hasina's resignation as Prime Minister and departure from Bangladesh created multiple uncertainties for India. For over one-and-a-half decade she was New Delhi’s strongest ally, and during this time, India-Bangladesh relations reached new heights. The bilateral ties flourished with advances in cross-border trade, transit arrangements, security collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges. However, Hasina’s ouster casts doubt on these achievements. The protests that led to her departure also carried an anti-India sentiment, given the close association perceived between Hasina and New Delhi.

IndiGo cancelled scheduled flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect on Monday due to the emerging situation in the wake of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning amid unprecedented anti-government protests. A Vistara official said it operated the flight from Mumbai on Monday and the situation is being monitored for operations to Dhaka on Tuesday. While Air India operates two daily flights from Delhi to Dhaka, Vistara flies daily flights from Mumbai and three weekly services from Delhi to the Bangladesh capital. IndiGo has flights to Dhaka from the national capital, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The number of flights that are operated by the airline could not be immediately ascertained.

Mint goes into the details on the latest developments in Bangladesh and the implications for India. The protests were triggered by students seeking the dismantling of quota-based reservations in government jobs. The unrest snowballed after a court ruling in June reinstated reservations in government jobs.