Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina quits, flees country amidst violent protests.

Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina on Monday has tendered her resignation as the Bangladeshi Prime Minister before fleeing the capital Dhaka in a military aircraft, as student protest intensified. Her resignation was confirmed by Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman in a live press conference, who also assured an interim government soon.

"There is a crisis in the country. I have met Opposition leaders and we have decided to form an interim government to run this country. I take all responsibility and promise to protect your life and property. Your demands will be fulfilled. Please support us and stop the violence. If you work with us, we can move towards a proper solution. We cannot achieve anything through violence", said the Army Chief addressing the media following Hasina’s resignation.

The five-time Prime Minister, as per videos that went viral showed leaving the residence in military aircraft. As per reports, the helicopter landed in neighbouring Tripura, India and then from there she was moved out in a Bangladesh Military aircraft which eventually landed at a defence air base near Ghaziabad in India’s Uttar Pradesh. Celebrations and chaos broke out in the streets of Dhaka, as protesters thronged into the ‘Ganobhavan’, the official residence of Hasina, vandalised the property and even defaced the statue of ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Protesters stormed the streets as students called it a “victory of people” over “Hasina’s Dictatorship”.

The Army Chief General during the press briefing asserted the leaders of the Opposition party and Civil Society were present in a meeting post her resignation to strategise the road ahead and that nobody from the ruling Awami League attended it. “Let us now usher in peace”, urged the Army Chief. Hasina reportedly left the country with her sister, while there’s confirmation awaited about her final destination.

“Your duty is to keep our people safe and our country safe and to uphold the constitution. It means don't allow any unelected government to come in power for one minute, it is your duty.”, said Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed in a social media post.


Shocking visuals of protesters vandalizing the plaques of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the leader in the country’s history who led its fight for Independence from Pakistan have gone viral on social media, symbolic of what protesters termed as ‘failed politics’ by his daughter that focused on suppressing dissent.


The protests began last month when the Bangladesh high court ruled in favour of reinstating a 30 per cent quota in government jobs for descendants of freedom fighters. After Sheikh Hasina refused to meet the student’s demands to reverse the order, the protests intensified leading to clashes with police and government-supporting groups. Over 300 people were killed and several were injured during the movement in July and onwards. Hasina’s government had also cut off all connectivity through broadband or internet for 11 days, amidst a stringent nationwide curfew. The Supreme Court, had later amended the High Court order, was welcomed by the students too. While the protests had mellowed down for a brief period but intensified again after students demanded an apology from Sheikh Hasina over the deaths of people after the former prime minister had termed the protesters ‘Razakars’ (traitors).
Students, last week, called for a nationwide civil disobedience movement and demanded a public apology from Sheikh Hasina, had also demanded her resignation.​