Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina Quits, Army Takes Over Amid Massive Protests

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangladesh, August 5, 2024: Sheikh Hasina has resigned as Bangladesh Prime Minister amid violent clashes between her party Awami League’s supporters and protesters demanding that she quit, news agency Reuters has reported.

Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman told the media that the Army will form an interim government and has appealed to the protesters to return to the path of peace.

The two-time Prime Minister, whose current tenure began in 2009, left state capital Dhaka in a military helicopter and may be headed to a safer location in India.

The 76-year-old is accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana. Protesters demanding her resignation have, meanwhile, stormed Gono Bhaban, the Prime Minister’s official residence, local media reports have said. The Bangladesh Army, it appears, is moving to take control and had reportedly given a 45-minute ultimatum to the Prime Minister to step down.

Shocking visuals of protesters vandalising a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ms Hasina’s father and the tallest leader in the country’s history who led its fight for Independence from Pakistan, are playing out on Dhaka’s streets.

What’s Behind The Protests

The protests in Bangladesh, which began last month and escalated swiftly, started as an agitation against a quota system under which 30 per cent of government jobs were reserved for family members of Muktijoddhas -- those who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. The protesters have said this system favours supporters of the ruling Awami League and want a merit-based system to replace it. As the protests grew, the Awami League dispensation tried to crush it with an iron hand. In the clashes that followed, more than 300 people were killed.