Bangladeshis dream of a better future after Hasina ousted

In Pictures

One day after the military took control of Bangladesh following the ouster of the prime minister, the parliament in the capital Dhaka was busy with protesters coming to celebrate.

More than a month of deadly protests in which at least 422 people were killed culminated on Monday in the deadliest day of violence and the end of the “autocratic” rule of PM Sheikh Hasina, who fled by helicopter to India.

“It’s the freedom of the young generation,” said student Parvez Hossain, 30, among the crowds in front of the building, which was empty of lawmakers after parliament was dissolved.

Hossain spoke of his hope for a new start and idealism for a better future. “Now we have regained the freedom of Bangladesh,” he said. “We want to build the country in a new way again.”

The unrest began last month with student-led protests against civil service job quotas and escalated into mass demonstrations calling for Hasina, who had been in power since 2009, to quit.

But while busy streets and open shops in Dhaka gave the initial appearance that daily life was nearly back to business as usual, at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday, and security remained a concern.

The charred ruins of offices of the former ruling party and looted houses of those seen loyal to Hasina showed the scale of bitter violence in the chaos at the end of her rule.

That included violence against police who reported revenge attacks by those who blamed officers for trying to crush protests with deadly force.

Police unions said their members had gone on strike Tuesday “until the security of every member of the police is secured”. The union also apologised for police actions against the protesters.

With the police on strike, citizens took it upon themselves