Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns: Protests that ousted her explained

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's resignation comes after reports emerged that Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman was expected to address the nation after consulting all political parties

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday after violent protests rocked the country over the weekend, BBC News reported.

According to the news agency, thousands of protesters on Monday also stormed Sheikh Hasina's official residence in the capital Dhaka.

Citing Bangladesh media reports, ANI reported that Sheikh Hasina had departed from Bangabhaban for a "safer place" at around 2:30 pm on Monday on a military helicopter. According to the report, she was accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana. Subsequently, BBC Bangla reported that Hasina's helicopter was heading to the Indian city of Agartala.

What happened right before Sheikh Hasina resigned?

The development comes after reports emerged that Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman was expected to address the nation on Monday after consulting all political parties. The Army also issued a statement, calling on people to remain patient until the Army chief addresses them.

 

Sheikh Hasina's resignation comes after a fresh outbreak of violence in Bangladesh on Monday claimed at least six more lives as thousands of protesters started gathering for a 'Long March to Dhaka', a day after over 100 people died in clashes between demonstrators demanding Sheikh Hasina's resignation and the ruling party's supporters.

In the morning, the Bangladesh government reportedly ordered a complete internet shutdown as protestors called on the general public to join their march to Dhaka. However, quoting sources, Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo said that a government agency issued a verbal order to start broadband internet around 1:15 pm on Monday. According to agency reports, there were no instructions for restoring mobile internet though.

News agency PTI reported that as protesters started gathering in the capital, police and military personnel were seen on the roads. The Daily Star newspaper said that at least six people were reportedly killed on Monday during clashes between protesters and police in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas.

Why has Bangladesh been rocked by violent protests?

Clashes broke out on Sunday morning when protesters, under the banner of Students Against Discrimination, attending a non-cooperation programme with the single-point demand of Hasina's resignation faced opposition from supporters of the ruling Awami League, along with Chhatra League and Jubo League activists.

Prothom Alo reported that at least 101 people, including 14 policemen, were killed in Sunday's clashes. Responding to the violence, authorities cut off mobile internet and enforced a nationwide curfew for an indefinite period.

Sunday's events came days after more than 200 people were killed in violent clashes between police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a quota system that reserves 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans of Bangladesh's War of Independence in 1971. Since then, over 11,000 people have been arrested.

The quota system, which was established in 1972, was briefly abolished in 2018, but later reinstated. The protests began late last month. Protesters have argued that this quota system, which has long been a source of contention, is discriminatory. According to them, it unfairly favours supporters of Hasina's Awami League party and limits opportunities that other qualified candidates can avail of. In its place, they have advocated for a merit-based system.

While the protests were initially paused after the Bangladesh Supreme Court scrapped most quotas in the country, they resumed, with protesters demanding justice for those killed. In fact, the deadly protests evolved beyond just the quota issue and into a broader anti-government movement, which drew support from diverse sections of the country's society, including musicians, film stars, and even garment manufacturers.

According to agency reports, Bangladeshi officials have claimed that Sunday's protests were joined by activists of the right-wing Islami Shashontantra Andolon, which erected barricades within the capital city and on several major highways.

The Bangladesh government had earlier claimed that the peaceful campaign had been hijacked by fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and their student front Islami Chhatra Shibir, which is backed by ex-premier Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Houses belonging to public representatives, Awami League offices, police stations, and other government installations were also attacked, vandalised and torched across 39 districts on Sunday.

The situation had prompted Bangladeshi authorities to order a curfew in major cities and small towns across the country for an indefinite period from 6 pm Sunday, along with mobilising troops, paramilitary border guards, and the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion.

(With agency input)