DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday, ending 15 years of rule as thousands of protesters defied a nationwide curfew and stormed the prime minister's official residence.
Bangladesh's military chief Waqar-uz-Zaman announced in a televised address that he was taking power at a “crucial moment for the country” and confirmed that Hasina had left Dhaka for a “safe place”, with local media reporting that her first destination was neighbouring India.
“I will now take responsibility and go to the president and ask him to form an interim government to lead the country in the meantime,” he said.
Jaman said the troops would withdraw and an investigation would be launched into the deadly crackdown that sparked anger against the government.
“Please keep faith in the military. We will investigate every killing and punish those responsible… I have ordered the military and police not to engage in any kind of shooting,” he said.
“Now it’s the students’ job to stay calm and help us.”
After the army confirmed Hasina's resignation, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, cheering and chanting. Television footage showed crowds storming Hasina's official residence in the capital, shaking fists, making victory signs and removing furniture and other household items.
Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won a fourth term in January's vote despite a boycott by her main opponents, raising concerns about how free and fair the vote was.
She was driven out by weeks of protests that began peacefully but descended into deadly clashes with security forces, a communications blackout, a curfew and the deaths of about 300 people.
Students led previous protests demanding reforms to the government’s job quota system that began in July and were eventually curtailed by the Supreme Court. But as the protests turned deadly and authorities tried to suppress the violence with force, the movement escalated into a campaign to oust Hasina.
At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks, the unrest has forced schools and universities across the South Asian nation to close and authorities at one point imposed a shoot-on-the-spot curfew.
Student activists have called for a march to Dhaka on Monday to protest the latest curfew and demand Hasina's resignation, after deadly clashes broke out again across the country on Sunday in which about 100 people, including more than a dozen police officers, were killed.
“The Second Revolution”
Hasina, 76, is one of the world's longest-serving female leaders and has played a central role in the politics of Bangladesh, a country of 170 million people that gained independence in 1971.
She is the daughter of the country's charismatic founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was killed in a military coup in 1975 when Ms Hasina was 28. She served as prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and returned to power in 2009.
Under her leadership, Bangladesh has become one of the region's fastest-growing economies, and the World Bank estimates that more than 25 million Bangladeshis have been lifted out of poverty over the past two decades.
But critics say she has become increasingly autocratic and have called her a threat to the country's democracy, and many say the recent riots reflect widespread discontent with her rule.
“Bengalis have witnessed their second revolution in 52 years since independence,” Professor ASM Amanullah, professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told Arab News.
Amanullah said the students had demanded a “comprehensive reform” of the country, that all institutions were corrupt and that the government of the past 15 years must be held accountable.
“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 go against your own people, no matter who you are, you can't last long.”
