In a dramatic turn of events, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stepped down from her position, as confirmed by the country’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman. The decision follows overwhelming protests against the government’s controversial quota system.
During a press conference held after the 76-year-old Hasina fled the country, General Zaman stated that the army plans to meet with President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the formation of an interim government.
Media reports suggest that Hasina, accompanied by her sister, departed in a military helicopter and may be heading either to the eastern Indian state of West Bengal or India’s northeastern state of Tripura. These reports, however, remain unverified by Reuters.
Television footage captured scenes of jubilation as thousands of people flooded the streets of Dhaka, celebrating and chanting slogans.
Demonstrators stormed Hasina’s official residence, ‘Ganabhaban,’ with some carrying away furniture and electronics from one of the nation’s most secure buildings.
“She has fled the country, fled the country,” shouted several protesters.
In a symbolic act, protesters climbed a large statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the leader of Bangladesh’s independence movement, and began chiseling away at the statue’s head with an axe.
The protests intensified after student activists called for a march to Dhaka in defiance of a nationwide curfew, demanding Hasina’s resignation.
This followed deadly clashes that resulted in nearly 100 fatalities the previous day, with at least six more deaths reported on Monday during skirmishes between police and protesters in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas.
The unrest, which began last month, was initially sparked by student groups demanding the abolition of a controversial quota system in government jobs.
It soon escalated into a broader campaign for Hasina’s ouster. Hasina had secured a fourth consecutive term in January in an election that was boycotted by the opposition.
