Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Resigns Amidst Violent Protests

GG News Bureau
Dhaka, 5th August. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left Dhaka amidst escalating violence and unrest, AFP reported citing an unnamed source. The Prime Minister is reportedly en route to India. According to ANI, Hasina, accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, left Ganabhaban, the official Prime Minister’s residence, around 2:30 pm local time on a military helicopter, seeking refuge at a “safer place.”

In a dramatic turn of events, the Bangladesh Army has reportedly issued a 45-minute ultimatum for Hasina to step down from her position. The current crisis follows violent protests last month that resulted in over 150 deaths and thousands of injuries. These demonstrations, ignited by student groups opposing reserved quotas in government jobs, have now intensified.

The ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group, a key player in last month’s protests, is leading the ongoing demonstrations. Despite a temporary pause in the protests after the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate most quotas on July 21, new demands have emerged. Protesters are now calling for a public apology from Hasina, restoration of internet services, reopening of educational institutions, and the release of detained individuals. By the weekend, calls for Hasina’s resignation became a central theme as protesters sought justice for those killed in the previous month’s violence.

The student-led group has initiated a nationwide non-cooperation movement with a singular goal: Hasina’s resignation. The protesters accuse her government of using excessive force during the quota protests, a charge the administration denies. Hasina’s government initially blamed the violence on the Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), but Hasina later labeled the perpetrators as “terrorists” aiming to destabilize the nation.

The unrest began in June after the High Court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, reversing a 2018 decision by Hasina’s administration to abolish it. The Supreme Court suspended the high court’s order and subsequently invalidated it last month, mandating that 93% of government jobs should be merit-based.

Experts suggest that the current unrest is partly due to stagnant job growth in the private sector, making public sector jobs, which offer regular wage hikes and benefits, highly desirable. With high youth unemployment affecting nearly 32 million young people in a population of 170 million, the demand for government positions has intensified.