DHAKA: 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 Monday in the deadliest day of violence and the end of the autocratic rule of 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.

Protesters stormed the building on Monday, jumping on tables and setting off what appeared to be smoke bombs. 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.

Opposition politicians on Tuesday called for the protection of all Bangladeshis “irrespective of religion and politics, from discriminatory violence”, amid reports of assaults on temples and churches. Student groups who led the protests urged people not to target minority communities in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called for restraint in what it said was a “transitional moment on our democratic path”.

Students were seen guarding Hindu temples and other places of worship in social media footage and images, verified by Al Jazeera. An official with Chittagong University in the country’s second-largest city told local media that troublemakers were “systematically” attacking public and private institutions “to prove the students’ movement wrong.” “To prevent any kind of attack on the places of worship, temples and churches of different religions in Chittagong, we have made a committee in each district ... to keep watch from Monday evening,” he said.

In the capital, Dhaka, a Muslim man was seen guarding the Dhakeshwari Temple, a Hindu place of worship. “A Muslim man spotted praying salah in front of Dhakeswari temple ... and protecting the hindu temple from all the evil people who are trying to stop the reform by attacking minorities and public properties,” Saif Ahmed, the social media manager of the Bangla Tigers cricket team, shared on X.

‘Anger of the people’

Police unions said their members had gone on strike Tuesday “until the security of every member of the police is secured”. The union also apologized for police actions against the protesters. With the police on strike, citizens took it upon themselves to direct traffic, with students standing at junctions and bringing some order to the stream of cars.

Nazrul Islam, 60, who works in pharmaceuticals, said students had lit the spark to allow people to protest wider grievances. “With the students’ protest, the anger of the people also burst. It was impossible to stop this wave,” he said. “Everyone had a hidden anger. Now we just want that no dictator can come to power again.”

Curious citizens picked through the ransacked interior of Hasina’s palace in Dhaka, clicking photographs in front of her trashed furniture and marveling at the opulent luxury. Bangladesh’s new leadership now rests on the powerful army who have said they will form an interim government. But whatever the future may be, 60-year-old bicycle rickshaw taxi driver Nurul Islam said he was pleased Hasina was gone. “People didn’t have any peace for the last 15 years,” he said, pausing to rest in the bustling street. “She was not elected even by the people’s votes; rather, she captured power as a dictator.” — Agencies