Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the prime minister of Bangladesh, left the nation on Monday after almost a month of violent anti-government demonstrations.
The 76-year-old reportedly escaped from Bangladesh to India in a helicopter on Monday after thousands of demonstrators broke into her official home in Dhaka, the country’s capital.
This unexpectedly ends the longest-serving prime minister in Bangladesh’s history, who has dominated the nation for over 20 years, starting in 2009.
She had fled after a violent day of upheaval on Sunday that claimed almost 100 lives, despite weeks of calls for her to step down.
On Monday morning, hundreds of people broke through the gates of Hasina’s official residence, amid joyful crowds waving flags and some dancing on a tank in the streets.
Images of the celebratory people running inside the compound and waving to the camera were seen on Bangladesh’s Channel 24. Statues of the nation’s independence hero, Sheikh Mujibur Rahma, Hasina’s father, were destroyed by others.
Waker-Uz-Zaman; the head of Bangladesh’s army, would address the country on Monday afternoon, a military official revealed without providing any other information.
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Hasina’s son pleaded with the nation’s security services to prevent any attempt to overthrow her 15-year rule before the demonstrators stormed the compound.
“Your duty is to keep our people safe and our country safe and to uphold the constitution,” her son, US-based Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said in a post on Facebook. “It means don’t allow any unelected government to come in power for one minute, it is your duty.”
The agitation that started last month against civil service job quotas and eventually spread to calls for Hasina’s resignation was sustained by security forces on behalf of her government.
Curfews and lethal force were ignored by the demonstrators, nonetheless. On the bloodiest day of the turmoil, Sunday saw the deaths of at least 94 individuals, including 14 police officers. Nationwide, security personnel opened fire as protesters and government supporters engaged in combat with sticks and knives.
A count by AFP based on information from police, government officials, and hospital physicians puts the death toll in Bangladesh from the day’s violence at least 300 since the protests started in early July. A statement from the military said that Waker informed commanders on Saturday that they had “always stood by the people.”
Following months of intense political turmoil, the military proclaimed an emergency in January 2007 and created a caretaker administration with military support that lasted for two years.
Gentle Reminder: Be careful how you use your authority and influence, be wise, and treat others with respect.
Chychy Jonas
