A day after the military took control of Bangladesh after ousting the prime minister, crowds of celebratory protesters gathered at parliament in the capital, Dhaka.
More than a month of deadly protests have left at least 422 people dead, and the deadliest day of violence ended on Monday, ending the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India by helicopter.
“This is the freedom of the young generation,” said Parvez Hussain, a 30-year-old student, in a crowd outside the building as it emptied of lawmakers after parliament was dissolved.
On Monday, protesters stormed the building, jumping on tables and detonating objects such as smoke bombs.
Hussain spoke of his hope for a new beginning and idealism for a better future.
He said, “Now we have regained the independence of Bangladesh. We want to rebuild the country in a new way.”
The unrest began last month with student-led protests against civil service job quotas and spiraled into mass demonstrations demanding the resignation of Hasina, who has been in power since 2009.
But in Dhaka, everyday life initially seemed to have returned to almost normal with busy streets and open shops, but at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday and security remains a concern.
The charred ruins of former ruling party offices and looted homes of people seen as loyal to Hasina show the scale of the terrible violence that erupted during the chaos at the end of her rule.
This included violence against the police, which reported revenge attacks by people who accused the police of attempting to crush the protests with deadly force.
‘People’s anger’
Police unions said their members went on strike on Tuesday “until the safety of every member of the police is ensured.”
The union also apologised for the police action against the protesters.
With the police on strike, citizens took it upon themselves to regulate traffic, and students stood at intersections to try and bring some order to the movement of cars.
Najrul Islam, 60, who works in pharmaceuticals, said the students had sparked protests over widespread grievances among people.
He said, “With the student protests, people’s anger also erupted. It was impossible to stop this wave.”
“Everyone had a hidden anger. Now we just want that no dictator can come to power again.”
Witnesses said some businesses and homes owned by Hindus were also attacked. Some in the Muslim-majority nation consider Hindus to be close to Hasina.
Bangladeshi human rights groups as well as US and European Union diplomats said on Tuesday they were “deeply concerned” by reports of attacks on religious, ethnic and other minority groups.
Meanwhile, curious citizens were busy browsing the damaged interiors of Hasina’s palace in Dhaka, posing for photographs in front of her mangled furniture and marvelling at the opulent luxury.
Bangladesh’s new leadership now depends on the powerful military, which has said it will form an interim government.
But whatever the future holds, cycle rickshaw taxi driver Nurul Islam, 60, said he was glad Hasina was gone.
“For the past 15 years, people have had no peace,” he said, stopping to rest on a busy road.
“She was not even elected by the people’s vote, but rather assumed power as a dictator.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
