Jay Boss
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and sought refuge in India after weeks of intense protests in the country.
The army and officials from the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi have confirmed the resignation of the 76-year-old leader. According to the leading national paper, Hasina and her sister were transported by military helicopter to India, where they are now staying in a secure location away from her official residence, as reported by Reuters.
The unrest, which began in July with a student-led movement against civil service job quotas, has escalated to broader discontent over economic issues, corruption, and the government’s authoritarianism under Hasina.
On Sunday, clashes in the capital resulted in the deaths of at least 95 people, including 14 police officers, with hundreds more injured. Violence continued on Monday with at least six more deaths reported from skirmishes between police and protesters in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas.
The protests, which have defied curfews and violent suppression by security forces, reached their peak on Sunday, marking the deadliest day of the unrest with 94 people killed, 14 of whom were police officers. Nationwide, the violence has resulted in at least 300 deaths, according to an AFP tally based on information from police, officials, and hospital reports.
Despite military support for her administration throughout the unrest, the situation has deteriorated. Protesters have pledged to march to the capital to demand Hasina’s resignation, prompting her to flee the country.
Hasina, the longest-serving female leader globally, has faced numerous assassination attempts and periods of imprisonment during her tenure. Her leadership has been marred by accusations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and crackdowns on dissent, allegations she has denied.
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