Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
A day after Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned citing ill health, opposition parties demanded that he face trial instead of merely stepping down, accusing him of failing to prevent the deadly 2024 crackdown on the student-led uprising.
National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Akhter Hossain said Shahabuddin should have been removed through impeachment and alleged that, after losing presidential immunity, there was no legal obstacle to prosecuting him. “Accountability is essential,” he said, accusing the former president of unconstitutional actions and remaining silent during the violence.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman also accused Shahabuddin of failing in his constitutional duty by not condemning the killings.
However, the ruling BNP struck a cautious note. Senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the party accepted Shahabuddin’s explanation that illness led to his resignation. On demands for his trial, Rizvi said the BNP’s highest policymaking body would decide its position later.
Shahabuddin, 76, resigned on Friday, citing autonomic neuropathy. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has assumed the role of acting president until a successor is elected within 90 days under the Constitution.