Muhammad Yunus takes oath as head of Bangladesh’s interim government; Modi urges him for safety of Hindus and minorities

Nobel laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus on Thursday took oath as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, equivalent to the post of the Prime Minister, three days after the dramatic ouster and exit of Sheikh Hasina. Hasina fled the country in eye of an unabated protest and currently in New Delhi, India.

Yunus, 84, had retrurned to Dhaka on Thursday afternoon after accepting the decision drawn out of consensus from opposition parties, student bodies and even military that wanted him to take over the reigns of the interim government, after days of mindless violence that began over the ‘quota’ system in government jobs but later panned out against the government of Sheikh Hasina over lack of ‘democracy’ in the country. “So many people have lost their lives. The visuals of people dying to bullets are etched in my mind and I am deeply pained. We have to unite to take Bangladesh to greater heights of peace and prosperity”, said Yunus asa his first words after arriving at Dhaka airport on Thursday, he broke down recalling the bloodbath that mired Bangladesh since early July.

At ‘Bangobhavan’ in Dhaka, Yunus’s oath was administered by the President of the country, Mohammed Shahabuddin. The other council of leaders were also given oath for office. “I will uphold, support and protect the constitution,” Yunus said as he was administered the oath.

Known for his micro finance scheme that created opportunities for millions of poor in the rural Bangladesh, also earned him the name “the banker of the poorest of the poor”. Born in 1940 in Chittagong in the undivided Bangladesh, his early life has seen travelling to places for education. After receiving a Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States in 1965, he got a PhD in economic development from Vanderbilt University in 1971. Till 1972, he was an assistant professor in Economics at Middle Tennessee State University.

During the 1971 Liberation War, he worked actively for the independence movement, even from abroad. Returning to Bangladesh post-war, Yunus pioneered microcredit, founding the Grameen Bank in 1983. His innovative approach earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

More than 400 people (officially) have lost their lives in the past few weeks of violence, since July. After Sheikh Hasina’s exit from the country, there had been multiple incidents of attacks on Awami League leaders, their properties and also Hindus and other minorities came under vicious attacks. In several instances, people belonging to the minority community have been killed, their properties vandalised and set ablaze. Yunus had expressed deep concern over the incidents that cast aspersions on the secular aspect of the nation. “These seems to be a part of a conspiracy, such attacks on Hindus and minorities are condemnable and should stop immediately”, Yunus added.


The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the issue of attacks on Hindus as he took to social media to wish Yunus good luck for the new innings. India and Bangladesh relationship had been of significant importance for New Delhi for strategic diplomacy and geopolitics in the South Asian region, also to contain militancy in the region. Bangladesh shares the longest border with India. “My best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on the assumption of his new responsibilities. We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities. India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development”, Narendra Modi wrote on ‘X’ on Thursday.​