Bangladesh's prime minister flees country and resigns after deadly protest
Sheikh Hasina has flown to India on a military helicopter as protesters in Bangladesh have stormed her official residence. It follows the death of almost 300 people during weeks-long protests.
Tuesday 6 August 2024 04:08, UK
Bangladesh's prime minister has resigned and fled to India following weeks of deadly protests in the country.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, and her sister took a military helicopter to India's eastern state of West Bengal, according to media reports, which is just across the border. Another report, however, said she was headed to India's north-eastern state of Tripura.
Thousands of people have stormed her official residence, shouting slogans, pumping fists and showing victory signs. Thousands more took to the streets of Dhaka to celebrate the resignation of the 15-year leader.
Bangladesh's army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, addressed the country saying there would be a solution to the crisis "by tonight".
He said he would talk to the president about forming an interim government, while also promising the military would stand down.
General Zaman vowed to launch an investigation into the deadly crackdowns that fuelled outrage against the government as nearly 300 people were killed in protests over the past month.
Ms Hasina's resignation came as student activists called for a march on Dhaka on Monday in defiance of a nationwide curfew, to press for her to quit.
At least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in clashes in the capital on Sunday, according to local news, while hundreds more were injured.
A few months ago, the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her escape from the country she has ruled for 15 years would have been unthinkable.
A dramatic turn of events demonstrates the power of the people, particularly the youth.
The scale and intensity of the protests that took place since last month have been ferocious.
The anti-quota protest had spiralled into deadly clashes between students and security forces killing over 200 people, while thousands were arrested.
To quell the anger the Supreme Court intervened and scrapped the proposed reservations and scaled down all quotas in government jobs.
The military, which is much respected and revered in the country, was brought in and some normalcy restored, but it was short-lived.
The government went ahead and banned the Jamaat-e-Islami party on 30 July, accusing it of exploiting the protest and inciting violence.
Unhappy with the government's management of the situation, people took to the streets once again on Sunday, this time to demand accountability by authorities for those killed in previous protests.
As the prime minister faced calls to resign, protesters on Monday called for a march to the her official residence and almost half a million converged in the centre of the capital city.
The military was quick to judge the situation and forced the prime minister to resign. She was seen leaving hurriedly in a military chopper to a safer location.
There is speculation that she is heading to India, a friendly nation to the family. There were celebrations when the news of her resignation broke.
Pictures show protestors vandalising the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, a revered figure considered the father of the nation as he helped get independence from Pakistan in 1971. But he is also the father of Sheikh Hasina and the anger against her was so much that it manifested in the damaging of a national hero.
The military has stepped in to provide peace and stability. It is speaking to various leaders of political parties and civil society for a democratic solution.
So far, all indications are that the sting of violence has been taken out and there is hope that normality will prevail for the 170 million people of Bangladesh.
At least six people were reportedly killed in clashes between police and protesters in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas on Monday.
The demonstrations began with students seeking to end a quota system for government jobs, but clashes with police and pro-government activists escalated into violence that left more than 200 dead last month.
That triggered more protests demanding accountability from the government, which have grown into calls for Ms Hasina -who won a fourth straight term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition - to step down.
Thousands of opposition members were imprisoned as she sought to run for a fourth term.
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Ms Hasina, the daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is the longest-serving leader in the history of the predominantly Muslim country of 170 million people.
Before being elected in 2009, she had already been prime minister between 1996 and 2001.
Her political opponents have previously accused her of growing increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to the country's democracy.
Her father was assassinated in 1975 during an army coup. Most of his family members were killed, with the exception of his two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.