Army takes charge in Bangladesh after ugly exit for PM Hasina, toll in fresh violence rises to 106

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reportedly resigned and fled the country on Monday amid massive protests against her government that have claimed 106 lives over the past two days, multiple news outlets said.

However, there was no official confirmation about her resignation or departure from Dhaka. The BBC reported that Hasina left on a helicopter for Agartala in Tripura, while the Associated Press stated she had resigned but provided no additional details. Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and local authorities in Agartala, including Tripura Home Secretary PK Chakravarty, have not confirmed these reports.

With the situation in the country fluid and uncertain, Bangladeshi Army Chief Waker uz Zaman addressed the nation, stating that Sheikh Hasina had indeed resigned and that an interim government would take over. He assured the nation that the army would assume responsibility for maintaining law and order. “I’m taking all responsibility (of the country). Please cooperate,” he urged.

Private ‘Jamuna’ television news channel reported that Hasina was forced to quit as Prime Minister following massive protests against her government over a controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.

The channel further stated that Hasina and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, left the country in a helicopter. Hours later, hundreds of protesters stormed the Prime Minister’s official residence.

According to Reuters, television visuals showed thousands of people flooding the streets of the capital, Dhaka, celebrating and chanting slogans. Protesters also stormed Hasina’s official residence, ‘Ganabhaban’, shouting slogans, pumping fists and displaying victory signs. Crowds were seen inside the residence, with some people carrying away televisions, chairs and tables from one of the most protected buildings in the country.

“She has fled the country, fled the country,” some protesters shouted. In a dramatic display of defiance, protesters in Dhaka climbed atop a large statue of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father, and began chiselling away at the head with an axe, as captured in television visuals.

The nation now stands at a crossroads, with the army taking charge and an interim government expected to lead amidst ongoing unrest and uncertainty.