Bangladesh swore in an interim government on Thursday, days after the country’s entrenched leader was toppled by protests and forced to flee, leaving violent chaos and profound uncertainty in her wake.

       The new leader, the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, appealed to the nation for calm in his first address upon his arrival in Dhaka from Paris, where he had been a guest at the Olympics.

       He was sworn in just hours later, along with more than a dozen other members of the interim administration that included at least two representatives from the student protesters who toppled Sheikh Hasina, the powerful former prime minister.

       “You have placed your trust in me, the students have called upon me, and I have responded to that,” said Mr. Yunus, 84, surrounded by student leaders decades younger. “My appeal to the countrymen is that if you trust me, then make sure that no one is attacked anywhere in this country. This is our first responsibility.”

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       During his brief statement, given at a news conference at the airport after his arrival, he repeatedly fought back tears as he spoke about Abu Sayeed, a student protester whose killing by police officers was caught on camera and helped fuel the subsequent anger.

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