DHAKA (Web Desk Monitoring) — Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday and left the country amid escalating violence, according to multiple sources. This development comes as the nation experiences some of its worst unrest since gaining independence over five decades ago.
In a televised address, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed Hasina, 76, had departed Bangladesh, and an interim government would take over. Media reports indicate that she traveled by military helicopter, accompanied by her sister, heading towards either the eastern Indian state of West Bengal or the northeastern state of Tripura. However, Reuters has not been able to independently verify these details.
Television footage captured scenes of thousands of people flooding the streets of Dhaka, celebrating and chanting slogans. Many demonstrators stormed Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban, with some looting items such as televisions, chairs, and tables from the heavily guarded premises.
Protesters also defaced a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and a key figure in Bangladesh’s independence movement. They used an axe to damage the statue’s head.
The unrest followed a call from student activists to march on the capital, defying a nationwide curfew, demanding Hasina’s resignation. This movement intensified after clashes on Sunday resulted in nearly 100 fatalities, adding to the approximately 150 people killed in protests the previous month.
On Monday, at least six additional deaths were reported during clashes between police and protesters in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas, according to the Daily Star. However, Reuters could not immediately confirm these reports.
The crisis in Bangladesh began last month with student protests demanding the abolition of a controversial quota system in government jobs. The demonstrations quickly expanded into a broader movement calling for Hasina’s removal from office, following her victory in a fourth consecutive term in an election boycotted by the opposition in January.
