Dhaka: In a dramatic turn of events following Sunday's violent protests, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday as masses of protesters demanding her resignation stormed her palace and roamed the streets of Dhaka.
Her resignation came against the backdrop of violence in the country that has killed at least 300 people including over 100 on Sunday. Reports said Hasina left the country and was heading to India, a claim that has not been independently verified by ETV Bharat so far. Leading Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo also reported that Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana had left the country.
Army Chief Says Will Form Interim Govt
Bangladesh's army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said Monday he will form an interim government after the prime minister resigned and fled the country. "We will form an interim government," Waker said in a broadcast to the nation on state television, adding Sheikh Hasina had resigned.
He announced plans to seek the president's guidance on forming the interim government and promised that the military would stand down. He also promised to launch an investigation into the deadly crackdowns that fueled outrage against the government and asked citizens for time to restore peace.
“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing.” “Now, the students’ duty is to stay calm and help us," he added.
The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest and installed a military-backed caretaker government for two years.
Jubilant-looking crowds, meanwhile, waved flags, celebrating including some dancing on top of a tank. Earlier in the day, Hasina's son had urged the country's security forces to block any takeover from her rule. "She wanted to record a speech, but she could not get an opportunity to do that," the source close to Hasina said.
The situation is unfolding in the backdrop of massive protests in the country where at least six people were killed in a fresh outbreak of violence on Monday as thousands of protesters started gathering for a "Long March to Dhaka", a day after over 100 people died in fierce clashes between the ruling party supporters and demonstrators demanding Prime Minister's resignation.
Complete internet shutdown
Hours before Sheikh Hasina resigned, the government Monday morning ordered a complete internet shutdown as protestors asked the general public to join a "Long March to Dhaka". The police and military were seen on roads as protesters started gathering in the capital. At least six people were killed during clashes between police and protesters in Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas, The Daily Star newspaper said.
Some students from various educational institutions gathered at Dhaka Central Shaheed Minar before and after 10 am to participate in the 'March to Dhaka' programme, prompting the police to fire tear gas shells to disperse them. All students and parents were requested to return home safely.
At least 101 people, including 14 policemen, were killed in clashes on Sunday, Prothom Alo reported. The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has rescheduled their "Long March to Dhaka" to be held on Monday, a day earlier than initially planned.
The decision was taken during an urgent meeting amid growing concerns in the country, Asif Mahmud, a coordinator of the movement, said in a press release issued on Sunday night. In an urgent decision to review the situation, our 'March to Dhaka' program has been changed from August 6 to August 5. In other words, we are calling on students from all over the country to travel to Dhaka tomorrow (Monday), he said.
The final battle has come. It is time to make the final signature of this student citizen uprising. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history. Students will create a new Bangladesh, Asif added, asking the general public to join it. The Awami League's planned mourning procession on Monday has been cancelled due to a curfew. There was thin traffic on roads in various areas in the capital on Monday morning.
According to a government press release on Sunday, terrorist attacks are taking place in various places. Strict action will be taken against the terrorist attackers. A three-day general holiday has been declared in the country from Monday. India has advised all its nationals to avoid travelling to Bangladesh until further notice due to ongoing violence.
The clashes on Sunday erupted days after over 200 people were killed in violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to the controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's War of Independence in 1971. Since then, more than 11,000 people have been arrested.
Officials claimed that Sunday's protests were joined by unidentified people and activists of rightwing Islami Shashontantra Andolon, which erected barricades on several major highways and within the capital city. Houses of public representatives, Awami League offices, police stations and other government installations were attacked, vandalised and torched in 39 districts on Sunday.
The situation prompted authorities to order a curfew in major cities and small towns across Bangladesh for an indefinite period from 6 PM Sunday, mobilising troops, paramilitary border guards BGB, and the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion alongside police. The government ordered the shutdown of Meta platforms Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. The mobile operators were ordered to shut down 4G mobile internet
Prime Minister Hasina on Saturday offered to sit for talks with the coordinators of the movement. However, they rejected her proposal. The government leaders earlier claimed that the peaceful campaign was hijacked by fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and their student front Islami Chhatra Shibir being backed by ex-premier Khaleda Zia's BNP.
'Raw anger'
In several cases, soldiers and police did not intervene to stem the protests, unlike during the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns. Demonstrators in Dhaka, surrounded by a tightly packed and cheering crowd, waved a Bangladeshi flag on top of an armoured car as soldiers watched, according to videos on social media Sunday verified by AFP.
"Let's be clear: The walls are closing in on Hasina: She's rapidly losing support and legitimacy," Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, told AFP.
"The protests have taken on immense momentum, fuelled by raw anger but also by the confidence that comes with knowing that so much of the nation is behind them." In a hugely symbolic rebuke of Hasina, a respected former army chief demanded the government "immediately" withdraw troops and allow protests.
"Those who are responsible for pushing people of this country to a state of such an extreme misery will have to be brought to justice," ex-army chief General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan told reporters Sunday, in a joint statement alongside other senior former officers.
'By the people'
Current army chief Waker-uz-Zaman told officers on Saturday that the military "always stood by the people", according to an official statement, which gave no further details and did not say explicitly whether the army backed the protests. The anti-government movement has attracted people across society in the South Asian nation of about 170 million people, including film stars, musicians and singers.
Hasina ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition. Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists. Demonstrations began over the reintroduction of a quota scheme that reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups. The protests have continued despite the scheme having been scaled back by Bangladesh's top court. (With PTI and AFP inputs)
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