Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka in a military aircraft and may be headed to India
Sheikh Hasina has quit as Bangladesh Prime Minister and the Army is moving to take control amid violent protests demanding her exit. 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.
"There is a crisis in the country. I have met Opposition leaders and we have decided to form an interim government to run this country. I take all responsibility and promise to protect your life and property. Your demands will be fulfilled. Please support us and stop violence. If you work with us, we can move towards a proper solution. We cannot achieve anything through violence," he said. The Army chief also confirmed that Ms Hasina has stepped down.
Over 300 people lost their lives as security forces cracked down on in the protests. AFP
The Army General said leaders of Opposition parties and civil society were present at today's meeting, and clarified that nobody from the ruling Awami League attended it.
Ms Hasina, who started her fifth term as Prime Minister earlier this year, left state capital Dhaka in a military aircraft and may be headed to 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 is learnt, had 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. The visuals mark a massive shift in the country's political landscape. The legacy of Mujibur Rahman, fondly known as Bangabandhu, is no longer a symbol of Bangladesh's war of liberation. Instead, it represents her daughter's politics that protesters claim has focused on suppressing dissent.
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.
What added to the protesters' anger was a remark by Prime Minister Hasina. "If not the grandchildren of the freedom fighters, then who will get quota benefits? The grandchildren of the 'Razakars'?" she asked. "This is my question. I want to ask the people of the nation. If the protesters don't comply, I can do nothing. They can continue their protest. If protesters damage properties or attack cops, the law will take its course. We can't help."
Displayed in a protest, this poster here says Sheikh Hasina is a "murderer of students". AFP
The Razakar remark touched a raw nerve. A paramilitary force recruited by Pakistan Army during the 1971 liberation war, Razakars carried out mass atrocities, including mass killings, rapes, and torture.
Reservation has been a burning issue in Bangladesh for several years now. In 2018, an agitation on this issue forced the government to water down the reservation system and cancelled quotas for some positions.
The latest unrest was sparked by a high court order that declared illegal the 2018 government circular cancelling 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters' descendants in government jobs.
This order was scrapped by the country's Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ordered that 93 per cent of government jobs must be allocated on the basis of merit and the remaining be reserved for relatives of freedom fighters. But even the top court's order could not pacify the protesters.