The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country due to the ongoing protests, Al Jazeera reports.
The PM boarded a helicopter headed to India after crowds ignored a national curfew to storm the prime minister’s palace in Dhaka. She fled the country with her sister Sheikh Rehana.
On Sunday, thousands of protesters demanded her resignation. The protests began last month against civil service job quotas and escalated into one of the worst unrest of Hasina’s 15-year rule and shifted into wider calls for the 76-year-old to step aside.
At least 37 people were killed on Sunday alone, with the rival sides battling with sticks and knives and security forces firing rifles, taking the total killed since protests began in July to at least 243 persons.
More than 200 people were killed in the violence in July, many of them shot by police. Around 10,000 people have been reportedly detained in a major crackdown by security forces in the past two weeks. Those arrested included opposition supporters and students.
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators in several parts of Bangladesh on Sunday, around 200 people being left with injuries.
A nighttime curfew came into effect as authorities attempted to quash protests across the country. The student protest started with a demand to abolish quotas in civil service jobs last month but has now turned into a wider anti-government movement.
As clashes intensify, Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed that the prime minister has resigned and that an interim government will now run the country.
He urged citizens to keep trust in the army, which, he said, would return peace to the country.
“We will also ensure that justice is served for every death and crime that occurred during the protests,” he said.
The Army chief called on the public to exercise patience and cease any acts of violence and vandalism.
“We have invited representatives from all major political parties, and they have accepted our invitation and committed to collaborating with us,” the general added.On Sunday, the Army chief conducted a staff-level meeting in which he said that Bangladesh Army “will stand by the people”.
