PM HASINA FLEES, B'DESH CELEBRATES

Dhaka, NT Bureau: Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country following weeks of deadly demonstrations against her government.

The removal of Hasina on Monday followed weeks of deadly protests and appears to have averted the threat of further bloodshed. The focus now moves to who will control the South Asian country.

In an address to the nation, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that an interim government will now run Bangladesh and called for calm.

Hasina, who ruled the country for close to two decades, boarded a military helicopter on Monday, an aide told Al Jazeera, as huge crowds ignored a national curfew to storm her palace in Dhaka.

Media reports in India say an aircraft carrying Hasina landed at Hindon Air Base near New Delhi. She was on board a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft which landed at the base in Ghaziabad, India Today news channel reported. Her resignation came after nearly 300 people died in weeks of protest that the authorities sought to crush.

ogether, let’s rebuild Bangladesh into a democratic and developed nation, where the rights and freedoms of all people are protected —Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who lives in exile in the UK

A night of deadly violence on Sunday killed close to 100 and a curfew was called. On Monday, huge crowds stormed the prime minister’s palace, preventing Hasina from delivering a speech. At least 20 more people were killed during violence in Dhaka as protesters stormed buildings.

“We’ve got 20 bodies here,” said Bacchu Mia, a police inspector at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, without giving details of their deaths, although other police officers reported mobs launching revenge attacks.

Despite the violence, by early afternoon, the mood had turned to one of celebration after news of the premier’s departure spread. Jubilant crowds waved flags, some dancing on top of a tank before thousands broke through the gates of Hasina’s official residence.

Protesters storm PM's residence, Parliament

Shortly after the army chief ’s address, Bangladeshi protesters stormed the PM’s residence in Dhaka. The footage was reminiscent of scenes of angry Sri Lankan protesters storming their leader’s residence in 2022 in the wake of the island nation’s economic crisis, and were seen swimming in a pool and lying on the president’s bed.

Bangladeshi TV channels broadcast angry protesters stealing sarees, crockery, furniture, pillows, utensils and decor from the residence. They could be seen roaming in the halls of the residence.

People also went into the bedrooms of Ganabhaban, and some were seen lying on the Prime Minister's bed. One protester took Shaikh Hasina's saree, and another took a Dior suitcase.

Protesters were seen taking raw fish and eating biryani from the kitchen and refrigerators. The crowd also destroyed Hasina’s father and former Bangladesh president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statue in Dhaka.

HOW HASINA BECAME 'POWERLESS

• JANUARY, 2024: Hasina wins a fourth straight term in elections boycotted by the opposition.
• JULY 18: Students launch protests against government job quotas, which reserve one-third of civil service posts for descendants of people who fought in the 1971 war for independence. The protests turn violent after a government crackdown and attacks by groups linked to the ruling party.
• JULY 29: Protests resume and calls grow for Hasina’s resignation.
• AUGUST 4: Nearly 100 people are killed during the protests, taking the total number of dead to almost 300.
• AUGUST 5: Hasina resigns and flees the country. Protesters storm the prime minister’s residence.

What happens next?

The military has announced it has taken control and will be forming an interim government until elections can be held. Many are hoping the country will not fall into the same patterns as before.

The Awami League and BNP have tussled for power since the 1990s, when democracy was restored after a period of military rule, but the role of students in the recent protests has raised hopes of an alternative to break the cycle.