In a dramatic turn of events, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was reported to have resigned amid violent protests and angry demonstrators storming her residence and fled the country.
She left for India with her younger sister in a military helicopter and was reported to have landed in the Indian state of Tripura.
Addressing the nation soon after, chief of army staff General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced that a political transition was in progress and an “interim government will be established”.
PM Hasina has resigned, interim government to run the country. We will return peace to the country. We ask citizens to stop violence. We will investigate all killings that have happened over the past few weeks.
The army chief also assured that a solution would be found to the crisis by tonight and that there was no need for any curfew or emergency in the country.
He urged the protesting students to exercise restraint and return to their homes.
This sudden move follows a 45-minute ultimatum given by the Bangladeshi army for her to resign.
Origins of the unrest
The current turmoil can be traced back to last month when student groups protested against reserved quotas in government jobs, resulting in at least 150 deaths and thousands of injuries.
The ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group, which led last month’s protests, has been at the forefront of the latest demonstrations.
The protests initially paused after the Supreme Court scrapped most of the quotas on July 21.
However, protesters returned last week, demanding a public apology from Hasina for the violence, restoration of internet connections, reopening of college and university campuses, and the release of those arrested.
The protests have now evolved beyond the quota issue into a broader anti-government movement.
The diverse support from various sections of society, including film stars, musicians, and garment manufacturers, highlights the widespread dissatisfaction with Hasina’s government.
Social media campaigns and rap songs have amplified the calls for her resignation.
Over the weekend, these demonstrations escalated into a campaign for Hasina’s ouster, with demonstrators seeking justice for those killed last month.
Economic factors contributing towards the unrest
The current unrest in Bangladesh is also driven by economic factors.
Stagnant job growth in the private sector has made public sector jobs, with their regular wage hikes and privileges, highly attractive.
High youth unemployment, with nearly 32 million young people out of work or education in a population of 170 million, has further fueled the anger among students.
Bangladesh’s economy, once among the world’s fastest-growing due to its booming garments sector, has stagnated.
Inflation hovers around 10% per annum, and dollar reserves are shrinking, exacerbating the economic challenges faced by the country.
Impact of the development on India
India issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border soon after the law and order situation spiralled and the PM fled.
The chief of the Border Security Force (BSF) of the Indian Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) also reached Kolkata to monitor the situation.
Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh told ANI:
This pressure had been mounting. The Army, which is a powerful institution in that country must have stepped in some way, if it is true that she has resigned, and told her that things are bad. It is a major event in Bangladesh, and we will see a new kind of government there. We can look forward to a period of instability which is bad for the country. It is also not good for the region. India will be watching what is going to happen.
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