TDS Desk:

Mohammed Shahabuddin, the president of Bangladesh, has become a symbolic figure of isolation. Appointed during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, he now stands as an unlikely figurehead of the state.

Throughout the turbulent days of July and August in 2024, when political unrest gripped the nation, key state institutions – including parliament and the prime minister’s residence – came under attack by enraged students and protesters. Amidst this chaos, while Hasina fled to India for her safety, Shahabuddin remained in Bangabhaban, fortified by special security arrangements. He continues to hold office and administered the oath-taking of the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus, but his presence in the public sphere vanished quickly.

Shahabuddin’s personal and public life seems increasingly controlled. His days are dictated by stringent security protocols, while his movements are limited. He doesn’t attend social events or university convocations, as a president usually would, and his presence in the media is nearly non-existent. Even his interaction with key figures, including the chief adviser, is a rare occurrence.

Before Hasina’s ousting in a mass uprising, Shahabuddin’s public appearances were notably visible, but he stopped attending events he used to participate in before her removal. He attended two Eid congregations at National Eidgah in 2024, but he did not do so this year.

The president is absent from state-owned news outlets, and his press wing appears to be inoperative. A loyalist of Hasina, Shahabuddin now spends his days within the walls of Bangabhaban, raising many questions and speculations about his fate.

The president made a rare public appearance on 2 October when he participated in a Bijoya Dashami greeting ceremony at Bangabhaban. Dressed in a red Punjabi and white pyjama, he exchanged pleasantries with members of the minority community, accompanied by his wife and other dignitaries.

Invited by the president on the occasion of Bijoya, this reporter visited Bangabhaban to greet him. When inquired about why he didn’t leave Bangabhaban, Shahabuddin said, “You know and understand everything.”

At the official residence of the president, portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders have been hanging at the main entrance of Darbar Hall. There have also been portraits of former presidents, but no portrait of Shahabuddin was visible.

In August, Shahabuddin’s photographs were removed from Bangladesh’s foreign missions, drawing widespread speculation about his fate as president. This irked him.

In a rare correspondence, he wrote to Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on 28 August. The letter highlights his discontent over the removal of his photographs. “I have no complaints, but my heart is broken,” he wrote.

In the letter, he questioned if there were any strategic measures to avert the humiliation of the president and his office. He referred to the removal of his photos from foreign missions.

Mohammed Shagor Hossain, an assistant private secretary to the president, told  that the letter was signed on 28 September and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a ‘dispatched rider’.

Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain was not available for comment, while officials from his ministry declined to speak on the issue.

“He spends most of his time with his wife and son, rarely smiling,” said a personal staff member, who wished to remain anonymous. “He walks in the garden or listens to music, but at times, he is lost in thought,” he added, while describing how the president spends his days.

Shahabuddin’s rise to the presidency in April 2023 was a surprise. Despite objections from within a section of the ruling Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s decision to appoint him was seen as a move to consolidate power with proven loyalists around her.

As a former anti-corruption commissioner, he was involved in investigating the Padma Bridge corruption scandal, where he cleared the bridge construction project of any wrongdoing, but indirectly accused a key figure (without naming Yunus) of playing a role in the corruption allegations episode, which led to the cancellation of the WB’s loan.

A storm of debate ensued when the Bangla daily Manab Zamin published Shahabuddin’s interview on 19 October 2024, where he revealed that Sheikh Hasina had never formally informed him of her resignation. Following this, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul accused him of not telling the truth and violating his oath.

Now, Shahabuddin’s life appears to be a quiet confinement within the fortified walls of Bangabhaban. His daily routine is carefully supervised. He rarely steps out, and his engagements with the public are limited to the most controlled settings. Even his medical visits are strictly controlled, with the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) being his only point of access for healthcare.

Shahriar Ali, deputy commissioner (Motijheel) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, in addition to the Presidential Guard Regiment (PGR), has deployed one platoon of the army at Bangabhaban.

Sources in Bangabhaban said the last time he left Dhaka was for his home district of Pabna in 2023. That year, he also went to Singapore for treatment, marking his last foreign visit.

Bangabhaban, once a hub of various activities, including political and social events, now stands almost silent, reflecting the isolation of its occupant. The large gardens and luxurious facilities within the presidential residence are barely touched. The swimming pool’s water is replaced regularly, but no one uses it. Shahabuddin’s once-prominent role as a public figure now seems like a distant memory. The future of the freedom fighter, who once stood with firearms during the Liberation War, now seems uncertain.

The closed-off world of Shahabuddin’s presidency raises key questions about the state of political power and the role of the country’s highest office ahead of the next national elections.