Exodus of Influential Figures Amid Political Unrest in Bangladesh

A retired Bangladeshi Supreme Court judge was detained while attempting to flee to India following widespread arrests of political leaders and associates after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has stepped in as the interim Chief Adviser amidst the ensuing chaos.

A retired judge of Bangladesh's Supreme Court was detained on the northeastern frontier with India in Sylhet while allegedly attempting to flee the country, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) announced late Friday.

This arrest follows the earlier detainment of Awami League leader ASM Firoz from his residence the same day.

According to an SMS from the BGB headquarters, former Supreme Court judge Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was stopped while trying to cross into India through Sylhet's Kanaighat border and held at a BGB outpost till midnight.

Bangladesh has descended into chaos following the ousting of premier Sheikh Hasina whose government collapsed, prompting her to flee to India amid violent protests over job quota reforms. The Bangladesh Army has stepped into the power vacuum left by her departure on August 5.

Since mid-July, anti-government protests have claimed over 500 lives. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of Chief Adviser to an interim government on August 8.

Since August 5, numerous leaders from the deposed Hasina regime, including senior ministers, have been apprehended on various charges, including murder.

The Bangladesh Army indicated that hundreds of leaders from Hasina's Awami League and other groups have sought refuge in cantonments as their safety was endangered.

Early arrests included former law minister Anisul Huq and private sector affairs adviser Salman F Rahman near Dhaka's main river port as they tried to escape by boat.

Several members of Hasina's cabinet, lawmakers, and leaders of her Awami League allies have been detained, such as former foreign minister Hassan Mahmud, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni, and pro-left Workers Party chairman Rashed Khan Menon, among others.

Arrested officials include sacked major general Ziaul Hassan, former head of the government's telecommunications system, and Chittagong Port Authority chairman rear admiral Mohammad Sohail, a former spokesperson for the elite anti-crime unit. TV journalist couple Farzana Rupa and Shakil Ahmed were also arrested.

(With inputs from agencies.)