Sheikh Hasina Quits After Bangladesh Army’s 45-Min Notice: Top Developments

The BBC’s India correspondent reported on X (formerly Twitter) the former Prime Minister is heading to Tripura’s Agartala, but this has not been confirmed. Earlier today protesters broke into her residence in capital Dhaka, but she had fled by then; news agency ANI said she, and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, had left the city for India in a military helicopter.Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman told the media the military will form an interim government and has appealed to the protesters to return to the path of peace.The protests, which began late last month, escalated dramatically when student activists at Dhaka University, the largest in the country, clashed violently with police and pro-government counter-protesters.Shocking visuals of protesters vandalising a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former president and the tallest leader in the country’s history who led its fight for Independence from Pakistan, are playing out on Dhaka’s streets.The roots of these protests lie in a controversial quota system, which reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.The protesting students have announced a “March To Dhaka” programme today. Over the court of the day houses of political leaders, police stations, and other government installations were attacked, vandalised and torched in 39 districts.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.In response the government declared an indefinite nationwide curfew starting 6 pm Sunday, the first such step during the current wave of protests.The protesters earlier dismissed Ms Hasina’s invitation for dialogue and consolidated their demands into a unified call for her resignation.After the Bangladesh Supreme Court cut the reservations to 5 per cent, student leaders put protests on hold but it flared up because they said the government ignored their call to release all their leaders, making the resignation of PM Hasina their primary demand.

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