Bangladesh Removes Bangabandhu from Currency Notes Amid Protests

The temporary government in Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, is changing the money in the country. They announced that images of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will be taken off the 20, 100, 500, and 1,000 Taka notes.

Instead of “Bangabandhu” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s picture, the new notes will show religious buildings, Bengali traditions, and symbols from the protests that happened in July.

An official from Bangladesh Bank, Husneara Shikha, shared that the new notes should be ready in about six months. She hopes they will be available in stores during that time. In September, the Finance Ministry presented their ideas for the new designs.

The first changes will be made to these four banknotes, and other denominations will be changed later. The protests in July started when students demanded better job quotas but turned into larger protests against the government. During these protests, some people damaged statues and pictures of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Unfortunately, some radical groups took advantage of the protests, destroying memorials and statues of “Bangabandhu” across the country.