The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has left the country, according to the army, and an interim government is set to be established.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has left the country, according to the army, and an interim government is set to be established.

Summary

• Hasina left for own safety, says son
• PM Hasina resigns and flies to India
• Army chief says interim government will be formed soon
• Thousands celebrate in streets of Dhaka
• Hasina resignation follows violent protests

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and left the country on Monday following violent protests against her government. The presidential residence was overrun by jubilant crowds who looted furniture and other items. In another part of Dhaka, protesters vandalized a statue of Hasina's father. Hasina's resignation marked the end of her 15-year tenure in power. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced her resignation and the formation of an interim government. He called for peace and justice in the country. News agencies reported that Hasina had landed in Delhi, India.

1. The nation, once recognized as one of the most rapidly expanding economies globally, has recently faced challenges such as sluggish economic growth, rising inflation, and increasing unemployment rates. Joy, the son of Prime Minister Hasina, defended her administration by stating, "She has transformed Bangladesh. When she assumed power, the country was deemed a failing state and impoverished. Today, it is regarded as one of Asia's emerging tigers." Hasina secured her fourth consecutive term in January of this year during an election that was boycotted by the principal opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by her rival Begum Khaleda Zia. Since overcoming a prolonged power struggle with Zia in 2009, Hasina has maintained her leadership. Both women inherited their political legacies from assassinated leaders—Hasina from her father Mujib and Zia from her husband Ziaur Rahman, who seized power following Mujib's assassination and was himself killed in 1981. Tarique Rahman, the exiled eldest son of the two Zias and current acting chairman of the opposition party, remarked, "Hasina’s resignation demonstrates the strength of the people's will. Together, let us work towards rebuilding Bangladesh as a democratic and developed nation, ensuring the protection of the rights and freedoms of all citizens," he posted on X.

WEEKS OF PROTESTS, VIOLENCE

1. Student activists organized a march to the capital, Dhaka, on Monday, challenging a nationwide curfew in an effort to compel Prime Minister Hasina to resign following violent clashes that resulted in nearly 100 fatalities across the country on Sunday. Reports from the Daily Star indicated that at least six individuals lost their lives during confrontations between police and demonstrators in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College regions, although Reuters was unable to confirm this information. The death toll from Sunday, which included a minimum of 13 police officers, marked the highest single-day fatalities from protests in Bangladesh's recent history, exceeding the 67 deaths recorded on July 19 during student protests against job quotas. Last month, violence instigated by student groups opposing job quotas led to at least 150 deaths and thousands of injuries. In response, the government imposed an indefinite nationwide curfew beginning at 6 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday and declared a three-day general holiday starting Monday. Over the weekend, there were incidents of attacks, vandalism, and arson targeting government properties, offices of Hasina's Awami League party, police stations, and residences of public officials. Garment factories, which supply apparel to some of the world's leading brands, were closed indefinitely. Critics of Hasina, along with human rights organizations, have accused her administration of employing excessive force against protesters, a claim that she and her ministers refute. Hasina stated that "those perpetrating violence are not students but terrorists intent on destabilizing the nation."