5 August: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has conceded and quit her position following demonstrations and chants like “One, two, three, four, Sheikh Hasina is a dictator.”
BANGLADESH PM Sheikh Hasina
After ruling the 170-million-person South Asian country (Bangladesh) with a firm foothold since 2009, the 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country. She is reportedly on her way to India.
The turning moment for Hasina’s resignation occurred on Sunday when protesters demanded Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, resulting in the deaths of almost 100 people. The demonstrators held Hasina’s government accountable for the bloodshed and the over 300 casualties that occurred during the July demonstrations against the employment quota. They claim that her government is employing disproportionate force to suppress demonstrators.
Sheikh Hasina had earlier denounced the demonstrators as “terrorists,” showing her defiance against them. Anisul Huq, the nation’s law minister, also told the BBC that the demonstrators were acting “emotionally” and that requests for her resignation were “unjustified.”
Then, her government issued an order banning 4G service nationwide and imposing a curfew that would start at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Additionally, the authorities commanded that Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger be shut down.
In addition, the administration declared Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to be three days of general holidays in an effort to restore calm and harmony throughout the nation.
The demonstrators’ only demand, which they carried out on a protracted march into Dhaka despite a curfew, was Hasina’s resignation.
Under the name of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, a horde of demonstrators set out on Monday to march in the direction of Hasina’s official home, Ganabhaban. Protesters soon smashed through the gates of Hasina’s official house in Dhaka, with footage showing joyful crowds waving flags and some even dancing atop a tank.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rehana and Hasina left the country, according to a source who spoke to AFP, saying, “Her security team asked her to leave, she did not find any time to prepare.” According to certain sources, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was given a 45-minute ultimatum by the Bangladesh Army to quit her position.
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The insider also told AFP that she was flown away after leaving initially in a motorcade. She did not specify where she was going. “A helicopter was used to evacuate her later.” Although Hasina’s location is unknown, sources indicate that she has traveled to India; some even claim that she has arrived in the state of Tripura, which is in the country’s northeast.
At a press conference, Bangladesh’s army leader Waker-Uz-Zaman declared he would “form an interim government,” just after news of Hasina’s departure surfaced. Clad in combat fatigues, he declared, “I accept full responsibility.” Though it’s unclear right now if he’ll lead the temporary administration.