Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old student, led protests against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ending her 15-year reign and forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.
Following Hasina's ouster, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman on Monday announced the formation of an interim government after holding “fruitful” talks with leaders of all major political parties.
Islam, as reported by ReutersHe is a soft-spoken sociology student who was the coordinator of a student movement against quotas in government jobs that eventually turned into a movement to oust Hasina.
Born in Dhaka in 1998 to a teacher father, the student leader shot to fame last month after being detained by police along with other Dhaka University students as police tried to tighten the noose around deadly anti-quota protests that have left around 300 people dead.
Islam, along with other student leaders, was scheduled to meet the country's army chief today. However, General Zaman later announced the resignation of the former prime minister as well as the formation of an interim government for Bangladesh.
On the future of the country, Islam has said that the students will not accept any government led or supported by the military and has in fact proposed the name of the country's Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, for the post of chief advisor in the future configuration of the government.
“Any government other than the one we recommend will not be accepted,” the student leader said in a post on social media Facebook today.
A day earlier, speaking to the media, he had said that the students would not betray the blood of the martyrs who gave their lives for their cause.
“We will create a new democratic Bangladesh through our promise of security of life, social justice and a new political landscape,” Islam said while flanked by other student leaders.
Ruling out the possibility of a return of what he called a “fascist government,” he called on his fellow students to protect minorities and their places of worship in the volatile situation prevailing in the country.
Offering insight into Islam's determination and commitment to the cause, Nakib Islam, a Geography student, said: Reuters that the student leader has incredible resilience and has always believed that the country needed to change.
Nakib went on to say that despite being tortured by police, who threw Islam onto the street after he fell unconscious, the student leader continued to fight.
“We are confident that he will not give up. [We are] “I'm proud of him,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Karim, an associate professor of government at Cornell University who specializes in the study of political violence, has called the events in Bangladesh “historic.”
“This could very well be the first successful revolution led by Generation Z. There may be some optimism about a democratic transition even if the military is involved in the process,” the academic noted.
