Ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina arrives in India, may flee abroad; Army announces interim govt takeover

Bangladesh descended into chaos after Hasina fled the country on Monday. The army stepped in to fill the power vacuum, ending one uncertain chapter and opening another in the nation's restive history.
Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.Photo | AP
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Bangladesh’s Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman declared on Monday that he was "taking full responsibility" following the dramatic ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

An interim government will be taking over, he said in a televised address amid feverish speculation about where Hasina was headed. "I'm taking all responsibility (of the country). Please cooperate," Zaman added, signalling the end of Hasina's 15 consecutive years in power.

The Army chief said he had met political leaders and told them the Army would take over responsibility for law and order.

Earlier today, Hasina resigned and fled to India on a military aircraft, following weeks of anti-government protests that have left at least 300 dead and hundreds injured. She is likely to meet her daughter, Saima Wazed, who is based in Delhi and works as the WHO's regional director for Southeast Asia.

While speculation exists that Hasina might travel to London, reports also suggest she could head to Belarus, where her nephew resides.

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
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Following her resignation, Sheikh Hasina reportedly received an ultimatum to flee the country. After leaving Dhaka, she arrived at Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, aboard a C-130 transport aircraft.

She held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on the present situation in Bangladesh and her future course of action. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force and other security agencies are providing security to Hasina, and she is being moved to a safe location.

Meanwhile, all train services between India and Bangladesh have been suspended indefinitely, railway officials said on Monday, following unrest in the neighbouring country.

The Border Security Force (BSF) issued a "high alert" across all its formations along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in the wake of developments in the neighbouring country, officials said.

BSF Director General (Acting) Daljit Singh Chawdhary and other senior commanders toured the front in West Bengal to review the security situation.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, warned that Hasina's departure "would leave a major vacuum" and that the country was in "uncharted territory."

"The coming days are critical, as it moves toward what will hopefully be a peaceful transition," he said.

"The key now is to move the process along, to create the interim set-up, to ease uncertainty and reduce the risk of more volatility."

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
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Protestors breach Hasina's residence

At the centre of people's anger is the Hasina-led Awami League government's controversial quota system, which reserves 30 percent of jobs for families of veterans who fought in the 1971 Liberation War.

As news of Hasina's departure spread, hundreds broke into her residence, vandalising and looting the interiors, providing dramatic expression to the anti-government protests that have killed hundereds.

What began as peaceful student protests against the government job quota system rapidly escalated into a widespread uprising, ultimately ending Hasina’s 15-year rule.

The government’s attempts to suppress the protests with force, curfews, and internet outages only intensified public outrage, fuelling further unrest. The situation reached a critical point when demonstrators, defying a military curfew, asked the general public to join a "Long March to Dhaka."

However, a government agency gave a verbal order to start broadband internet around 1.15 pm on Monday.

As the military withdrew and internet access was restored, celebratory crowds took to the streets, and thousands breached the Prime Minister’s official residence. Restive crowds in Dhaka, initially protesting but later celebrating the end of Hasina's rule, swarmed the airport and spilt onto the runway.

The home of Dr Wajed Miah, Hasina's husband, was not spared either in the vortex of violence on Monday, local reports said.

The Bangabandhu memorial museum, dedicated to Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated along with his wife and their three sons while serving as president in 1975, was also vandalised. Similarly, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area was damaged.

From Ganabhadan, the prime minister's official residence, came extraordinary visuals of protesters storming in and walking away with sofas and even chairs.

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
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A man held aloft his child, hundreds broke in to the beating of drums, and one protester proudly proclaimed to the media that he had taken a red lipstick. "I will keep it as a memento of our struggle to remember that we broke free from a dictator. She used to wear this lipstick," he said.

Another young man carrying a planter said, "This is freedom. I can't put this feeling into words."

With the Bangladesh flag draped around his neck, a protester said he was 35 years old and had not been able to cast his vote for three elections.

With crowds on a fiery rampage through the country—a charred vehicle on a Dhaka street is testimony to the violence—the Awami League office in the capital was set on fire.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan's house was ransacked.

And a Prothom Alo reporter said screams and loud noises could be heard when several people entered the chief justice's residence.

The violence was not restricted to Dhaka.

In the eastern city of Sylhet, the offices of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police were reportedly set on fire, while the homes of several councillors were attacked, the BBC reported.

Four Hindu temples suffered "minor" damages across the country, eyewitnesses and a community leader said.

Meanwhile, in his address to the nation, General Waker-Uz-Zaman called for calm and assured the public that the military would hold accountable those responsible for the unrest. He emphasised the military’s commitment to restoring order and resolving the crisis by the end of the day.

“Keep faith in the military. We will investigate all the killings and punish those responsible. I have ordered that no army or police personnel engage in any kind of firing,” Zaman said. He also urged students to remain calm and assist in the stabilisation efforts.

In response to media queries, the Army Chief confirmed meetings with representatives from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jatiya Party, and Jamaat-e-Islami. Teachers Afis Nazrul and Jonayet Saki were also reported to have attended these discussions, according to Bangladeshi media sources. He reassured that there would be no nationwide curfew or emergency declaration.

A list of suggested individuals for the interim cabinet, proposed by concerned citizens, has been widely circulated. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding the new cabinet's composition.

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
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