Sheikh Hasina resigns amid public uprising, flees to India
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 5
After four weeks of violent street protests against her government, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday. She was evacuated from Dhaka on board a Bangladesh air force plane that landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad this evening. Hasina is expected to take a regular commercial flight to London.
In Dhaka, the army has taken control. Bangladesh army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman announced Hasina’s resignation in a televised address to the nation and said an interim government would be formed.
- Editorial: Hasina’s ouster
The last time the Army took over the reins in Dhaka was in 2007 before Hasina swept to power in 2009 and has been the PM since. The nation had been under military rule from 1975 to 1990. Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, considered the “father of the nation”, was assassinated in 1975 and Lt Gen Ziaur Rehman took over.
Today, protesters climbed atop a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka and began chiselling away at the “head”, almost akin to the way statues of Vladimir Lenin were removed in Moscow in the 1990s.
In Dhaka, General Zaman said he had “fruitful” talks with leaders of all major political parties he had invited and would soon meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the way ahead. Hasina’s party, which won an electoral mandate in January this year, was not invited by the army.
“The country is going through a revolutionary period,” said General Zaman, who took over as the army chief on June 23.
In his address, General Zaman said, “I promise you all, we will bring justice to all murders and injustice. We request you to have faith in the army of the country. I take full responsibility; do not get disheartened,” he said, indicating that the army was in control.
“I request you all to be a little patient, give us some time and together we will be able to solve all the problems,” General Zaman said. “Please don’t go back to the path of violence and please return to non-violent and peaceful ways.”
Television visuals showed thousands of people pouring into the streets of the capital Dhaka in jubilation and raising slogans. Thousands also stormed Hasina’s official residence “Ganabhaban”, raising slogans, pumping fists and showing the victory sign and rampaging through her house.
Crowds could be seen carrying away televisions, chairs and tables from what was one of the most protected buildings in the country.
Bangladesh has been engulfed by protests and violence after student protests last month against quota in government jobs escalated into a campaign for the ouster of Hasina.
About 250 people have been killed and thousands injured in the violence. Student activists had called for a march to Dhaka today in defiance of a nationwide curfew to press for Hasina’s resignation after deadly clashes across the country on Sunday killed nearly 100 people.
The role of the country’s army in tackling violence had come into focus with a group of retired military officers urging Hasina to withdraw troops from the streets and undertake “political initiatives” to resolve the crisis.
Critics of Hasina, along with human rights groups, have accused her government of using excessive force against the protesters, a charge she and her ministers deny.
Hasina had said “those who are carrying out violence are not students but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation”.
In India, Director General of the BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary said troops were aware and alert about the recent development and the situation across the Indo-Bangladesh border was being closely monitored to deal with any unforeseen situation.
In Parliament, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the Lok Sabha and spoke regarding Bangladesh developments.
Air, rail services suspended
- Air India, IndiGo cancel scheduled flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect
- Indian Railways suspends all train operations to neighbouring country
- BSF has ordered ‘high alert’ along Bangladesh border; DG visits front
- Meghalaya imposes night curfew along border; Assam puts border dists on alert
Pm chairs CCS meet
PM Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Monday night as the government's top brass was briefed about the situation in Bangladesh.
Doval meets Hasina
Hours after Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, NSA Ajit Doval met her, sources said.
