Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was sworn into office Thursday as Bangladesh's interim leader, vowing to guide the country back to democracy after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina.

Yunus, who only returned home hours earlier, swore to "uphold, support and protect the constitution, in front of political and civil society leaders, generals and diplomats at the presidential palace.

The 84-year-old leader told reporters when he returned to Dhaka from Europe that Bangladesh created a new victory day, noting that the region had gotten a second independence.

Yunus therefore called for the restoration of order in the South Asian nation after weeks of violence that left at least 455 people dead, calling on citizens to guard each other, including minorities who came under attack.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen members of his cabinet were given the title of advisers not ministers, as they took oath of office.

The group included two top leaders of the Students against Discrimination group, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, who led the weeks-long protests.

Others included a former foreign secretary, a former attorney general, an environmental lawyer, and prominent rights activist Adilur Rahman Khan, who was sentenced to two years in jail during Hasina's rule.