- On Monday, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down, bringing her 15-year tenure to an end.
- Just before the announcement of plans for an interim government, Hasina was spotted boarding a military helicopter.
- The protests started peacefully in late June as students called for an end to a government job quota system, but they escalated into violence after confrontations with police and pro-government groups at Dhaka University.
Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on Monday marked the conclusion of her 15 years in leadership, as thousands of demonstrators defied a military-imposed curfew to invade her official residence.
After local media captured the beleaguered leader boarding a military helicopter with her sister, Bangladesh’s military chief, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, conveyed intentions to consult the president regarding the formation of an interim government.
He assured that the military would withdraw and initiate an investigation into the violent crackdowns that sparked public outrage, requesting patience from citizens to restore order.
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“Trust in the military; we will thoroughly investigate all fatalities and hold the accountable parties responsible,” he stated. “I’ve ordered that no military or police personnel engage in any form of firing.”
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses reporters in Dhaka on December 31, 2018. Protesters invaded Hasina’s official residence on Monday, prompting her to flee. Her current whereabouts are unknown. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)
“Now, it’s the students’ responsibility to remain calm and assist us,” he added.
The early protests began peacefully as aggrieved students sought the abolition of the job quota system, but they have since evolved into an unparalleled challenge and uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.
The government attempted to suppress the unrest through force, resulting in nearly 300 fatalities and escalating public fury and demands for Hasina’s resignation.
At least 95 individuals, including 14 police officers, were killed in Sunday’s clashes in the capital, according to the prominent Bengali-language daily, Prothom Alo. Hundreds more sustained injuries during the upheaval.
During a protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government demanding justice for victims of recent clashes, men dash past a shopping center set ablaze by demonstrators in Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
In recent weeks, authorities have arrested at least 11,000 individuals in connection with the unrest, resulting in the closure of schools and universities nationwide. At one point, a shoot-on-sight curfew was imposed.
This past weekend, demonstrators initiated a “non-cooperation” campaign, urging the public to refrain from paying taxes or utility bills and to resist going to work on Sunday, a regular workday in Bangladesh. While offices, banks, and factories were open, commuters faced significant hurdles in reaching their places of employment.
On Saturday, Hasina proposed discussions with student leaders, but a coordinator declined and reiterated the singular demand for her resignation. In response to the demonstrators, Hasina reaffirmed her commitment to investigate the fatalities and hold accountable those behind the violence, expressing her willingness to meet with protesters at their convenience.
On Sunday, authorities disabled mobile internet services to manage the unrest, and broadband services were temporarily disrupted on Monday morning. This marked the second instance of an internet blackout since the protests escalated into violence in July.
Men hurry past a vehicle set ablaze by protesters inside Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital during a rally advocating for justice for the victims killed in the nationwide violent confrontations, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)
Following a three-hour suspension of broadband services on Monday, internet access—a mixture of mobile and broadband—was restored.
Hasina commented that protesters engaging in “sabotage” and destruction were no longer acting as students but as criminals, asserting that the public should deal with them firmly.
At 76, she achieved her fourth consecutive term through a January election that was boycotted by key opposition parties, raising concerns regarding the democratic legitimacy of the vote. Numerous opposition members were incarcerated in the weeks leading to the elections, which the government defended as legitimately democratic.
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Currently, she holds the title of the longest-serving leader in Bangladesh’s history, a predominantly Muslim nation boasting a population exceeding 160 million, strategically situated between India and Myanmar.
Her political adversaries have accused her of increasingly autocratic governance, viewing her as a threat to the nation’s democratic principles. Many believe that the current turmoil stems from her authoritarian tendencies and relentless quest for power.
