DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending her 15-year reign as thousands of protesters defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence.
In a televised address, Bangladesh's military chief Waker-Uz-Zaman announced he was taking control at a “critical moment for our country” and confirmed that Hasina had left Dhaka for a “safe place.” Local media reported that her original destination had been neighboring India.
“I now take responsibility and we will go to the president and ask him to form a transitional government to lead the country in the meantime,” he said.
Zaman said the army would withdraw and an investigation would be launched into the deadly raids that had fueled anger against the government.
“Trust the military. We will investigate all killings and punish those responsible. … I have ordered that neither the army nor the police are allowed to take part in shooting,” he said.
“Now the students’ duty is to keep calm and help us.”
After the army confirmed Hasina's resignation, thousands poured into the streets of the capital, cheering and chanting. Television showed crowds storming Hasina's official residence in the capital, raising their fists, making victory signs and clearing away furniture and other household items.
Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and was elected for a fourth consecutive term in a vote in January. Her main opponents boycotted the vote, raising doubts about the freedom and fairness of the election.
She was forced to resign after weeks of protests that were initially peaceful but then escalated into deadly clashes with security forces, leading to communications blackouts, curfews and around 300 deaths.
Students were the ones who led the first protests in July to demand reforms to the quota system for government jobs, which the Supreme Court eventually overturned. But as the rallies turned deadly and authorities tried to quell the violence with force, the movement escalated into a campaign to oust Hasina.
At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks. As a result of the unrest, schools and universities in the South Asian country were closed. The authorities even temporarily imposed a curfew during which people were allowed to shoot on sight.
Student activists called for a protest march to Dhaka on Monday to defy the latest curfew and demand Hasina's resignation, after nearly 100 people, including more than a dozen police officers, were killed in a new wave of deadly clashes across the country on Sunday.
“SECOND REVOLUTION”
Hasina, 76, was one of the world's longest-serving female heads of state and played a central role in the politics of Bangladesh, a country of about 170 million people that declared independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's charismatic founder and leader who was killed in a military coup in 1975 when Hasina was 28. She served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in 2009.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh developed into one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. According to World Bank estimates, over 25 million people in the country have escaped poverty in the last two decades.
But critics accuse her of becoming increasingly autocratic and of being a threat to the country's democracy. Many say the recent unrest reflects a broader dissatisfaction with her rule.
“Bengali people have experienced the second revolution in their 52-year history since independence,” Prof. ASM Amanullah, professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told Arab News.
Amanullah said the students had demanded a “comprehensive reform” of the country. He claimed that all the country's institutions were corrupt and that the government of the past 15 years was to blame.
“It is the power of the people. It is a voice for the rest of the world. It is a voice for the rest of the Indian subcontinent,” Amanullah said.
“If you work against your people, whoever you may be, you cannot survive in the long run.”
