Sheikh Hasina Flees Amid Clashes, Bangladesh Protesters Storm PM’s Palace

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left the capital Dhaka amid violent protests demanding her resignation, a source close to the embattled leader told the news agency AFP.

“She and her sister have left Ganabhaban (the Prime Minister’s official residence) for a safer place,” the source told AFP.

“She wanted to record a speech. But she could not get an opportunity to do that,” the source said.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters defied curfew, marching on the capital’s streets and later storming the Prime Minister’s palace. Visuals showed crowds running into the premier’s official residence in Dhaka, waving to the camera as they celebrated.

Soldiers and police with armoured vehicles in Dhaka had barricaded routes to Ms Hasina’s office with barbed wire, AFP reporters said, but vast crowds flooded the streets, tearing down barriers.

Local media estimated as many as 400,000 protesters were on the streets but it was impossible to verify the figure.

This comes as Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman is set to address the nation after 98 people were killed in fierce clashes yesterday, taking the death count since protests erupted last month to over 300.

Ms Hasina’s son urged the country’s security forces to block any takeover from her rule, while a senior advisor told AFP that her resignation was a “possibility” after being questioned as to whether she would quit.

Rallies that began last month against civil service job quotas have escalated into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Hasina’s 15-year rule and shifted into wider calls for the 76-year-old to step down.

The demonstrations have grown into a wider anti-government movement across Bangladesh. It has attracted people from all strata of Bangladesh society, including film stars, musicians and singers. Songs calling for people’s support have spread widely on social media.