Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns, flees country amid massive protests and Army coup

Bangladesh Unrest: After 15 years in office, Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, announced her resignation and departed the nation on Monday, according to a senior military official. Following weeks of anti-government unrest that claimed over 300 lives, she is leaving.

Reports that Sheikh Rehana and Hasina had left for a “safe shelter” sparked thousands of demonstrators to storm her official mansion in Dhaka, Ganabhaban.

Bangladesh Army Chief says, “Representatives of main political parties were present in discussion with Army. Request students to stay calm and go back home.”- reports Reuters

(Photo source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/ocVLGgH8gY

— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024

An interim administration will assume power, according to General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the head of Bangladesh’s army. He met earlier today with representatives of different political groups, such as the opposition BNP and the ruling Awami League, as well as other interested parties, according to local media.

#WATCH | On reports of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina leaving official residence in Dhaka, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh says, “This pressure and the demonstrations were mounting. Clearly, the government there was under pressure. The Army… pic.twitter.com/8IMeKffpLC

— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024

The location of Sheikh Hasina was not immediately verified. She and her sister reportedly travelled to India on a military chopper. According to rumors, the resigned prime minister earlier took a chopper with her sister out of the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina was compelled to resign as prime minister, according to the private Jamuna television news channel, following widespread demonstrations against her administration over a contentious quota system that allocated thirty per cent of government positions to the kin of veterans who participated in Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence.

Reports state that the army head would soon address the country.

A total internet blackout was earlier announced by the government in response to calls from demonstrators for the public to join a “Long March to Dhaka.” On Monday, at 1:15, a government organisation did, however, verbally mandate the installation of broadband internet.

Bangladesh protests: PM Sheikh Hasina resigns | What we know so far

• Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country.
  
• Hasina, who has led the nation since 2009, is reported to have arrived in Agartala, Tripura.
• Her resignation comes amid widespread protests in Dhaka, where thousands have taken to the streets. Clashes between police and protesters on Sunday have resulted in at least 98 deaths.
• Some protesters have reportedly stormed Hasina’s official residence in Dhaka.
• In the past month, around 300 people have died as authorities have cracked down on anti-government demonstrations. What began as a student protest against civil service job quotas has expanded into a larger anti-government movement calling for Hasina’s resignation.

  Also Read: Bangladesh protests update: Hindu councillor shot dead; Hindu homes and ISKCON temple targeted

UNREST AND ANARCHY

Students were protesting a government job quota system peacefully in late June when they got into physical altercations with police and pro-government supporters at Dhaka University.

Curfews, internet shutdowns, and force were all used by the government in an attempt to put an end to the protests, but these measures backfired, killing close to 300 people and sparking calls to end her 15 years in office.

Almost a hundred people lost their lives on Sunday when protestors nationwide battled with security personnel and members of the ruling party.

Also Read: Bangladesh protest: PM Hasina moves to safer location amid unrest; resignation ‘likely’