DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending 15 years in power as thousands of protesters defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence.
In a televised speech, Bangladeshi military chief Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that he was taking over at a “critical time for our country” and confirmed that Hasina has left Dhaka for a “place of safety”, as local media reported neighboring India as her initial destination.
“I am taking responsibility now and we will go to the president and ask to form an interim government to lead the country in the meantime,” he said.
Zaman said the army would stand down and an investigation would be launched into the deadly crackdowns that sparked outrage against the government.
“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all killings and punish those responsible … I have ordered that no army and police should engage in any kind of shooting,” he said.
“Now it's the students' duty to keep calm and help us.”
After the army confirmed Hasina's resignation, thousands of people poured into the capital's streets in jubilation and shouting slogans. Television images showed crowds storming Hasina's official residence in the capital, pumping fists, making victory signs and removing furniture and other household items.
Hasina had ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and was elected to a fourth consecutive term in a vote in January that was boycotted by her main opponent, raising concerns about the free and fair nature of the vote.
She was forced out by weeks of protests that began peacefully but turned into deadly clashes with security forces, leading to communications disruptions, curfews and around 300 deaths.
Students led earlier protests that began in July to demand reforms to a quota system for government jobs, which the Supreme Court eventually scaled back. But as the demonstrations 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, with the unrest leading to the closure of schools and universities across the South Asian nation and authorities issuing a curfew at one point.
Student activists called for a march to Dhaka on Monday in defiance of the latest curfew to press for Hasina's resignation. This comes after nearly 100 people, including over a dozen police officers, were killed on Sunday following a fresh wave of deadly clashes across the country.
“THE SECOND REVOLUTION”
Hasina, 76, was one of the world's longest-reigning female leaders and has played a pivotal role in the politics of Bangladesh, a nation of about 170 million people that declared independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's charismatic founder, who was killed in a 1975 military coup when Hasina was 28. She was prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in 2009.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh became one of the fastest growing economies in the region, with World Bank estimates showing that more than 25 million people in the country have been lifted out of poverty over the past two decades.
But critics say she has become increasingly autocratic, calling her a threat to the country's democracy, and many say the recent unrest reflected broader discontent with her rule.
“Bengali has witnessed the second revolution in its history of 52 years since independence,” Professor ASM Amanullah, professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told Arab News.
Amanullah said the students had demanded “total reform” of the country and said all the country's institutions were corrupt, with the government of the past 15 years to blame.
“It is the power of the people. It is a voice to the rest of the world. It is a voice to the rest of the Indian subcontinent,” Amanullah said.
“If you work against your people, whatever you are, whoever you are, you cannot sustain in the long run.”
