Bangladesh PM resigns, flees country amid deadly anti-government protests

Bangladesh’s premier curate resigned and fled nan state Monday, aft weeks of protests against a quota strategy for authorities jobs descended into unit and grew into a broader situation to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators stormed her charismatic residence and different buildings associated pinch her statement and family.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure threatens to create moreover much instability successful nan densely populated federation connected India’s separator that is already dealing pinch a bid of crises, from precocious unemployment and corruption to ambiance change. Amid information concerns, nan main airdrome successful Dhaka, nan capital, suspended operations.

After nan embattled leader was seen connected TV boarding a subject chopper pinch her sister, nan country’s subject chief, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, sought to reassure a jittery federation that bid would beryllium restored. He said he met pinch guidance politicians and civilian nine leaders and would activity nan president’s guidance connected forming an interim government.

He promised that nan subject would motorboat an investigation into nan deadly crackdown connected student-led protests that led to immoderate of nan country’s worst bloodshed since nan 1971 warfare of independency and fueled outrage against nan government. He added that he ordered information forces not to occurrence connected crowds.

“Keep religion successful nan military, we will analyse each nan killings and punish nan responsible,” he said.

The subject wields important governmental power successful Bangladesh, which has had much than 20 coups aliases coup attempts. But it was not clear if Hasina’s resignation aliases nan subject chief’s calls for calm would beryllium capable to extremity nan turmoil.

Even aft Waker-uz-Zaman spoke, group continued to move into and retired of Hasina’s charismatic residence, taking furnishings and pulling earthy food from nan refrigerators.

Crowds besides ransacked Hasina’s family’s ancestral home-turned-museum wherever her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — nan country’s first president and independency leader — was assassinated. They torched awesome offices of nan ruling statement and nan country’s 2 leading, pro-government TV stations — some of which were forced to spell disconnected air.

Elsewhere, protests were peaceful, and thousands gathered Monday evening extracurricular nan statesmanlike palace, wherever nan subject chief, guidance politicians and nan country’s figurehead president met.

Hasina, meanwhile, landed successful a metropolis successful India connected nan separator pinch Bangladesh, according to a subject charismatic who said connected information of anonymity because he was not authorized to merchandise nan accusation to nan media. It was not clear wherever she would spell next.

The protests began peacefully past period arsenic disappointment students demanded an extremity to a quota strategy for authorities jobs that they said favored those pinch connections to nan premier minister’s Awami League party, but nan demonstrations past shape-shifted into an unprecedented situation to Hasina and nan party.

The 76-year-old was elected for a 4th consecutive word successful a January ballot that was boycotted by her main opponents.

Thousands of guidance members were jailed successful nan lead-up to nan polls, and nan U.S. and nan U.K. denounced nan consequence arsenic not credible, though nan authorities defended it.

Hasina had cultivated ties pinch powerful countries, including some India and China. But nether her, relations pinch United States and different Western nations person travel nether strain, arsenic they person expressed concerns complete quality authorities violations and property freedoms successful nan predominantly Muslim federation of 170 cardinal people.

Her governmental opponents person antecedently accused her of increasing progressively autocratic and person blamed nan unrest connected that authoritarian streak. In total, she served much than 20 years, longer than immoderate different female caput of government.

Ali Riaz, an master connected Bangladeshi authorities who teaches governmental subject astatine Illinois State University, said nan state is facing a agelong roadworthy ahead, arsenic politicians and nan subject will struggle to reconstruct calm while satisfying various camps and reining successful attempts to settee scores.

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“So nan challenges connected nan process going guardant are daunting,” he said, adding that observers will beryllium watching to guarantee that nan military’s domiciled stays that of mediator, fixed nan history of service takeovers.

Protests person continued moreover aft nan Supreme Court past period ruled that nan quota strategy — which group speech up to 30% of authorities jobs for family members of veterans who fought successful Bangladesh’s warfare of independency against Pakistan — must beryllium drastically cut. The authorities attempted to quell nan demonstrations pinch force, leaving astir 300 group dormant since mid-July.

At slightest 95 people, including astatine slightest 14 constabulary officers, died successful clashes successful nan superior connected Sunday, according to nan country’s starring Bengali-language regular newspaper, Prothom Alo. Hundreds much were injured.

At slightest 11,000 group person been arrested successful caller weeks. The unrest has besides resulted successful nan closure of schools and universities crossed nan country, and authorities astatine 1 constituent imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.

Authorities besides unopen disconnected mobile net connected Sunday successful an effort to quell nan unrest, and broadband net was trim concisely Monday but services were restored later successful nan day.

Over nan weekend, protesters called for a “non-cooperation” effort, urging group not to salary taxes aliases inferior bills and not to show up for activity connected Sunday, a moving time successful Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters successful Dhaka and different cities struggled to get to their jobs since overmuch nationalist carrier was halted amid fears of violence.

Hasina offered to talk pinch student leaders connected Saturday, but a coordinator refused and demanded her resignation.

Hasina repeated her pledges to analyse nan deaths and punish those responsible for nan violence. She said she was fresh to beryllium down whenever nan protesters want. Earlier, she had said protesters who engaged successful “sabotage” and demolition were nary longer students but criminals, and that nan group should woody pinch them pinch an robust hand.