Nahid Islam: 'Gen Z' Bangladesh student leader helped overthrow Hasina, vowed to protect Hindus

On July 19, Islam was abducted by 25 men from a house in Sabujbagh (Image: Reuters)

In Bangladesh, the ousting of longest-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is credited to the efforts of a sociology student Nahid Islam. 26-year-old Islam was the coordinator of a student movement against quotas in government jobs that turned into an oust-Hasina campaign.

Hasina's ouster came after several weeks of persistent demonstrations and clashes with security forces that have killed about 300 people since mid-July. What started as peaceful protests by students infuriated with a quota system for government jobs suddenly transformed into a massive rebellion against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.

The recent turmoil marked the final and most significant challenge for the 76-year-old leader, who holds the record as the world's longest-serving female head of government. Her fourth consecutive term, secured in January, came through an election that faced criticism. The main opposition boycotted the polls, citing worries about the fairness and freedom of the electoral process.

1. A student at Dhaka University, Nahid Islam appeared as the face of the campaign that led to Hasina's ouster. His name came in spotlight in mid-July after police detained him and some other Dhaka University students as the protests turned deadly, according to a Reuters report.

2. According to reports, Islam serves as the coordinator for 'Students Against Discrimination' movement, a student-led demonstration seeking reforms to the quota system in government jobs in Bangladesh.

3. Islam, who was born in Dhaka in 1998, is married and has a younger brother, Nakib. His father is a teacher and his mother a homemaker. He has been very vocal against Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League, labelling them as "terrorists".

4. On July 19, Islam was abducted by 25 men from a house in Sabujbagh. He was allegedly subjected to torture over his involvement in protests. Two days later, he was found unconscious and battered under a bridge in Purbachal, according to a report by NDTV. He was again kidnapped on July 26 from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhanmondi.

5. Islam, who speaks unemotionally but firmly in public, has said the students would not accept any government led or supported by the army and has proposed that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus be the chief adviser. "Any government other than the one we recommended would not be accepted," he said in a Facebook post early on Tuesday.

He vowed to ensure the country of 170 million never returns to what he called "Fascist rule" and asked fellow students to protect its Hindu minority and their places of worship.