Rabat – Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country following a wave of intense student-led protests and violent clashes that have swept through the capital, Dhaka.
The resignation comes after weeks of unrest and widespread calls for her removal. The protests, which claimed around 300 lives over the past weeks, were fueled by long standing grievances and calls for reform.
On Sunday night, tensions reached a boiling point as violent confrontations resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 individuals. In response, protesters, defying a national curfew, stormed the official residence of Prime Minister Hasina.
Reports quoting sources within her office said that Hasina boarded a military helicopter and departed the country.
The resignation and flight of Hasina appear to have calmed the nationwide unrest. On Monday, scenes of jubilation were visible throughout Dhaka as news of Hasina’s departure spread.
Thousands of protesters flooded the streets to celebrate the perceived end of her tenure, while others gathered at Shahbag Square, a focal point for student-led protests.
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Al Jazeera correspondent Tanvir Chowdhury described the mood as one of unprecedented euphoria. Chowdhury said he has “never witnessed something like this,” noting the mixture of relief and celebration among the crowds. “Students and families with their children out celebrating, checking if she has either left the country or resigned,” he added.
In the wake of the prime minister’s departure, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman has postponed his scheduled address to the nation. Instead, he is engaged in discussions with major political factions, including the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The student-led protests began in early July, sparked by widespread frustration over recruitment practices for government jobs. University students across the country, particularly those from Dhaka University, mobilized to demand equitable access to these opportunities.
The movement’s core grievance was the perceived lack of fairness and transparency in the recruitment process, which they argued favored a select few and marginalized the majority of applicants.
