In short:
- Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country
- Nationwide protests took place in Bangladesh; more than 300 people have been killed.
- Protestors entered the official residence of Sheikh Hasina
Bangladeshi Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed that Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has given her resignation and fled the country with her sister. Her plane landed at Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad. Now, the interim government will take over the power. On Monday afternoon, the protesters entered the official residence of the Prime Minister.
The nationwide protests are taking place in Bangladesh. It created turmoil in the country. Because of the protest, more than 300 people have been killed and 2500 people have been injured. The telecommunications and transportation services are widely disturbed due to the protest. On July 19, the government imposed a curfew and deployed the army on the streets of the country.
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Soon after Hasina fled the country, President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of Khaleda Zia, the former PM of Bangladesh who was in prison. Khaleda Zia was the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1991. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2018 for corruption charges.
This student protest turned into religious violence as some Islamist extremists set temples on fire and burned houses. Famous Krishna temple ISKCON in Meherpur was also vandalized. The sacred idols turned into ashes. Various videos and images of violence against Hindus are circulating on social media. Hindu’s are 8% of the total population of Bangladesh.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights chief, Volker Turk requested the political leadership and security forces to stop the violence in Bangladesh protests.
Reasons for the Bangladesh protests:
- In Bangladesh, 56% of government jobs are reserved. Out of this, 30% of jobs are reserved for the family members of those veteran soldiers who fought in the liberation war against Pakistan in 1971: 10% for women, 10% for people from underdeveloped districts, 5% for indigenous communities, and 1% for disabled people.
- In 2018, students protested against the huge reservation system. As a result, the Bangladesh government scrapped all the reservations.
- But the High Court on June 5, 2024, overturned this decision of Sheikh Hasina. Then the government appealed to the Supreme Court. The court restrained the order of the High Court. The hearing in the Supreme Court is going to be held on August 7th.
- The protestors start the protest peacefully with rallies against the decision of the High Court. They want the 30% quota system for the families of freedom fighters to be removed. The students said the recruitment must be done on the basis of merit.
- On July 15, this peaceful protest turned violent as members of the student wing of Hasina’s Awami League party or pro-government protesters clashed with anti-quota protesters. Six people were killed. The authorities asked all the universities to shut down. The paramilitary force was installed to patrol the streets of the capital city, Dhaka.
- Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina appeared on the state broadcasting network and asked the protesters to calm down. The demonstrators also set the state broadcasting building BTV and parked vehicles on fire, a day after PM Hasina appeared on the broadcasting network. After this incident, the broadcaster was shut down.
- The police used rubber bullets and tear gas on the demonstrators. As a result, violent clashes took place between the demonstrators and the police.
Information about Bangladesh:
Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It was initially a part of Pakistan and was known as East Pakistan. It was separated from Pakistan in the 1971 Independence war. It shares its boundaries with India from the north, east, and west, and Myanmar from the south-east. The capital city of Bangladesh is Dhaka. The total population of this country is 170 million, which makes it the 8th most populous country in the world. Its total area is 1,48,460 square kilometers.
