Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending her 15-year rule as thousands of protesters defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence.
In a televised address, Bangladeshi army chief Waqer-uz-Zaman declared he would take office at a “critical time for our country” and confirmed Hasina had left Dhaka for a “safe place”, with local media reporting her first destination was neighbouring India.
“I am in charge now and we will go to the president to ask for a caretaker government to lead the country in the meantime,” he said.
Zaman said the army would stand down and would investigate the bloody crackdown that had angered the government.
“Please have faith in the army. We will investigate all murders and punish the perpetrators… I have ordered the army and police to not shoot any kind of gun,” he said.
“Now it’s the students’ job to stay calm and help us.”
After the army confirmed Hasina's resignation, thousands of people poured into the streets of the capital in celebration, chanting slogans. Television footage showed a crowd storming Hasina's official residence in the capital, raising fists, making the victory sign and moving furniture and other household items.
Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and was elected to a fourth consecutive term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main rivals, raising concerns about how free and fair the vote would be.
She was forced to leave after protests that began peacefully turned into deadly clashes with security forces, disrupted communications, imposed a curfew and killed around 300 people.
Students were among the protesters in July demanding reform of the government quota system, which the Supreme Court eventually reduced. But as the protests turned bloody and authorities tried to crack down on the violence with force, the movement evolved into a campaign to oust Hasina.
At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks, with the unrest forcing schools and universities across the South Asian country to close and authorities to declare shoot-on-spot curfews in some areas.
Students have called for a march to Dhaka on Monday, defying the latest curfew order, to press for Hasina's resignation. The move comes after nearly 100 people, including more than a dozen police officers, were killed in fresh clashes across the country on Sunday.
“The Second Revolution”
Hasina, 76, is one of the world's longest-serving female leaders and plays a key role in the politics of Bangladesh, a country of about 170 million people that gained independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of the country's charismatic founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a 1975 military coup when Hasina was 28. She served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001, returning to power in 2009.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh has become one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, with the World Bank estimating that more than 25 million people in the country have been lifted out of poverty in the past two decades.
But critics say she has become increasingly authoritarian and call her a threat to the country's democracy, with many saying the recent unrest reflects broader discontent with her rule.
“Bengals have witnessed their second revolution in their 52-year history since independence,” ASM Amanullah, professor of sociology at the University of Dhaka, told Arab News.
Amanullah said the students were demanding a complete reformation of the country and said all the country's institutions were corrupt and that the governments of the past 15 years must be held accountable.
“That is the power of the people, it is a voice that reaches the rest of the world, it is a voice that reaches the rest of the Indian subcontinent,” Amanullah said.
“If you work against your people, no matter who you are, no matter who you are, you can’t stand it long term.”
