Student leaders announced plans to detail the interim government’s framework in a press conference later this evening. One student leader asserted that the final victory of the student movement would be declared from the streets, reflecting the ongoing public fervour for change.
In a dramatic turn of events, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, resigned and fled the country on Monday following a wave of deadly protests. The 76-year-old leader, who had been in power since 2009, was said to have departed via helicopter to India, en-route to London, according to multiple media sources.
On Monday, protests in Dhaka reached a fever pitch with violent clashes between demonstrators, police, and pro-government supporters. As violence escalated, with nearly 100 people killed in the latest unrest and about 150 deaths reported last month, Hasina’s resignation came as the latest development in a turbulent political crisis.
The resignation sparked widespread jubilation in Dhaka. Thousands of residents poured into the streets celebrating, with many storming Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban. In scenes of chaotic triumph, protesters were seen carrying away furniture and television sets from the heavily guarded building.
In an act of symbolic defiance, some protesters scaled a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and a key figure in Bangladesh’s history, and began chiselling away the monument.
Nearly 8 lakh graduates are unemployed in Bangladesh. The students were protesting the 30 per cent job quota for families of freedom fighters. Bangladesh’s supreme court intervened and reduced the Quota to 5 per cent that only helped usher in a temporary lull.
But matters Tquickly escalated into calls for Hasina’s resignation. The quota was a reservation of jobs for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters – almost all of whom are connected with Hasina’s Awami League.
The stir over the job quota is not new – with rising unemployment, the issue had been simmering for over a decade.
The situation has been exacerbated by political tensions and accusations of a flawed election in January, boycotted by the opposition.
Interim government
There are conflicting reports about the formation of an interim government. General Waker-Us-Zaman, the chief of the Bangladeshi army, who confirmed in a televised address that Hasina had left the country and announced plans to form an interim government earlier in the day also announced that he was taking charge and that an interim government will be in place very soon. No timeline was given.
The army chief is a close relative of Sheikh Hasina.
On the other hand, student activists, who have been at the forefront of the protests, are now preparing to present an outline for an interim government. Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, stated that the interim government will be inclusive of diverse groups but will exclude supporters of the ousted Awami League regime. Islam emphasized the need for systemic change to prevent the rise of another autocratic leader.
Asif Mahmud, another coordinator, announced plans to detail the interim government’s framework in a press conference on Monday evening. He asserted that the final victory of the student movement would be declared from the streets, reflecting the ongoing public fervor for change.
The political landscape of Bangladesh remains highly volatile as the nation grapples with the aftermath of the resignation and the formation of a new governing body.
In the meanwhile, many Awami League leaders spoke of plans to move out of Bangladesh, mostly to India.
