News Desk

The Advocate Post: Bangladesh is in turmoil as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reportedly fled the country amid deadly protests over a special job quota. According to local media reports, Hasina has already resigned from her position.

Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana left Bangabhaban via helicopter around 2:30 PM on Monday, heading to a safe location in West Bengal, India, as reported by news agency AFP. Sources confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that they have arrived in India.

In a shocking turn of events, Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed Hasina’s resignation and announced plans to form an interim government with the participation of all political parties. “After holding a fruitful discussion with all political parties, we have decided to form an interim government. We will speak with President Mohammed Shahabuddin now to resolve the situation,” Zaman stated.

Reports indicate that Hasina intended to record a farewell speech before her departure but did not get the chance to do so.

The situation in Bangladesh has escalated, with police and doctors reporting at least 300 deaths in anti-government protests. On Monday, protesters stormed the prime minister’s palace, leading to widespread chaos. An internet shutdown has further complicated the situation, with internet outage monitor NetBlocks reporting “high impact to mobile networks.” A major internet gateway company confirmed that both broadband and mobile internet services were shut down.

In a speech on Sunday, General Waker-Uz-Zaman called for an end to the ongoing violence, promising that the new government will ensure justice for all the deaths that occurred during the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement.