Hours after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country amid violent anti-government protests, Army chief general Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that the military would form a caretaker government to restore peace and order in the country. After Sheikh Hasina's resignation, thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family, vandalising and looting the interiors.
At least 300 people, including policemen, died during the renewed anti-government protests in Bangladesh that began on Friday. Similar protests took place last month after the Bangladesh high court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, including a 30% reservation for families of veterans from the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, overturning a 2018 decision by Hasina's government to scrap it. However, the Supreme Court suspended the high court's order after the government's appeal, setting a date of August 7 to hear the government's challenge. The demonstrations escalated when Hasina refused to meet the students' demands, citing court proceedings.
Here are the top updates on the Bangladesh crisis:
Sheikh Hasina, who resigned on Monday, ending her 15-year rule, arrived at Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad on a C-130 transport aircraft and is expected to head to London later, where she may seek political asylum. Currently, Hasina has been moved to a safe house in India.
Media reports suggested that Sheikh Hasina's sister Rehana, who has UK citizenship, is accompanying her.
Following her resignation, Waker-Uz-Zaman, who became the army chief on June 23 this year, announced that the military would form an interim government and pledged that all deaths and acts of injustice during the recent protests would be investigated by authorities. “The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed - it is time to stop the violence,” he said, shortly after jubilant crowds stormed and looted Hasina's official residence.
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the dissolution of the Parliament, which was formed after elections in January this year.
President Shahabuddin also ordered the release of prisoners from the protests, as well as former prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia. Notably, Zia, who is in poor health, was jailed by her arch-rival Hasina for graft in 2018.
On late Monday, the President and the army chief, alongside key opposition leaders, met with Shahabuddin's press team and said it had been “decided to form an interim government immediately”.
Throughout the day on Monday, thousands of protesters continued to pour into and out of Hasina’s official residence, where they set fires, carried out furniture and pulled raw fish from the refrigerators. They also massed outside the parliament building, where a banner reading “justice” was hung. They also ransacked Hasina’s family’s ancestral home-turned-museum where her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — the country’s first president and independence leader — was assassinated, reported AP.
After Hasina arrived in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a cabinet meeting over the crisis in Bangladesh.
The United States called for calm in Bangladesh and urged the interim government formation process to be democratic and inclusive. The White House and the US Department of State both separately said that Washington encourages all parties to refrain from further violence and restore peace as quickly as possible, reported ANI.
The World Bank said that it is assessing the impact of events in Bangladesh on its loan program with the country after Hasina resigned and fled. “We mourn the violence and tragic loss of life that has taken place in recent weeks in Bangladesh and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution. We are assessing the impact of the unfolding situation on the World Bank Group program and remain committed to supporting the development aspirations of the people of Bangladesh,” a spokesperson for the bank said, as quoted by Reuters. Notably, the World Bank was among the first development partners to support Bangladesh following its independence. Since then, the bank has committed about $41 billion in grants and interest-free credits to the disaster-prone country.
