Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, resigned on Monday, bringing an end to her 15-year rule. This came after thousands of protesters defied security measures and stormed her official residence.
Shortly after local media broadcasted footage of the embattled leader boarding a military helicopter with her sister, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, the Bangladesh military chief, announced plans to consult with the president on forming an interim government.
He assured the public that the military would stand down, pledged to investigate the deadly crackdowns that fueled the public’s anger against the government, and requested time to restore peace.
“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing.”
“Now, the students’ duty is to stay calm and help us,” he added.
The protests, which initially began peacefully as students demanded the abolition of a quota system for government jobs, have escalated into an unprecedented challenge and uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.
The government’s attempt to quell the violence with force resulted in the deaths of nearly 300 people, further inflaming public outrage and calls for Hasina’s resignation.
According to Prothom Alo, the country’s leading Bengali-language daily newspaper, at least 95 people, including 14 police officers, were killed in clashes in the capital on Sunday. Hundreds more sustained injuries in the violence.
Over recent weeks, at least 11,000 individuals have been arrested. The unrest has also led to the closure of schools and universities nationwide, and authorities at one point imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.
Over the weekend, protesters called for a “non-cooperation” effort, urging people to refrain from paying taxes or utility bills and to abstain from work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks, and factories did open, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges in getting to their jobs.
On Saturday, Hasina offered to engage in talks with student leaders, but a coordinator refused and reiterated their single demand for her resignation. Hasina reiterated her commitment to investigating the deaths and holding those responsible for the violence accountable. She expressed her willingness to meet with protesters at their convenience.
Authorities shut down mobile internet on Sunday in an attempt to quell the unrest, while broadband internet was briefly disrupted on Monday morning. This was the second internet blackout in the country following a similar incident in July.
Following a three-hour suspension of broadband services on Monday, both broadband and mobile internet were restored.
Hasina had previously categorized protesters involved in “sabotage” and destruction as criminals rather than students, urging the public to handle them with force.
The 76-year-old was elected to a fourth consecutive term in a January vote boycotted by her primary opponents, leading to questions about the fairness and freedom of the election. In the lead-up to the polls, thousands of opposition members were imprisoned, a move defended by the government as consistent with democratic practices.
Currently, she holds the record for the longest-serving leader in the history of Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim nation with a population exceeding 160 million and strategically located between India and Myanmar.
Her political adversaries have previously accused her of becoming increasingly autocratic, labeling her a threat to the country’s democracy. Many now attribute the unrest to her authoritarian tendencies and her relentless pursuit of control at all costs.