5-8-2024 (DHAKA) Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned from her position and fled to India following weeks of deadly protests that have engulfed the nation. The 76-year-old leader and her sister reportedly took a military helicopter to India’s eastern state of West Bengal, which shares a border with Bangladesh, according to media reports. However, another report suggests that she may have headed to India’s north-eastern state of Tripura.
As news of Hasina’s resignation spread, thousands of jubilant protesters stormed her official residence in Dhaka, chanting slogans, pumping their fists, and displaying victory signs. Simultaneously, thousands more took to the streets of the capital city to celebrate the resignation of the 15-year leader.
In a televised address to the nation, Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Us-Zaman, vowed to find a solution to the crisis “by tonight.” He stated that he would engage with the president to form an interim government, while also promising that the military would stand down.
Waker-Us-Zaman further pledged to launch an investigation into the deadly crackdowns that fueled outrage against the government, as nearly 300 people were killed in protests over the past month.
Hasina’s resignation came as student activists called for a march on Dhaka on Monday, defying a nationwide curfew, to intensify pressure on her to step down. The protests, initially sparked by students seeking to end a quota system for government jobs, escalated into violence after clashes with police and pro-government activists, leaving more than 200 people dead last month.
According to local news reports, at least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in clashes in the capital on Sunday, while hundreds more were injured. Furthermore, 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, which began as a call to end the quota system, quickly transformed into a broader movement demanding accountability from the government and eventually grew into calls for Hasina’s resignation. Hasina, who won a fourth straight term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition, faced mounting pressure to step down.
