Bangladesh PM Hasina Resigns Amid Protests, Leaves Country

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday, Reuters reported, after thousands of protesters entered her official residence amid ongoing violent student-led protests that have killed at least 300 people since July.

At least 93 people, including 14 police officers, were killed with over a thousand wounded on Sunday amid violent clashes between the police and anti-government demonstrators during nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Hasina, marking one of the deadliest demonstrations since they ignited in July.

“The terrorists attacked the police station and killed 11 policemen,” Deputy Inspector General Bijoy Basak said, following claims by police officials that demonstrators attacked law enforcement officers, including storming a police station in the northeastern town of Enayetpur.

The nationwide protests took place in 20 districts on Sunday against the ruling party, with law enforcement firing tear gas and stun grenades to disband the tens of thousands of demonstrations demanding Hasina resign following weeks of violent student-led anti-quota protests.

Local authorities and physicians reported at least 12 people were killed in the capital city of Dhaka, with several victims sustaining gunshot wounds, while 18 others died in the northern district of Sirajganj.

“The shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop,” United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement on Sunday, expressing concerns ahead of the mass nationwide protests planned for Monday.

At least 56 people were killed Monday during the ensuing violence, mainly in Dhaka but also in other cities, police said, saying gangs had launched revenge attacks on Hasina’s allies.

The latest violence took the total number of people killed since protests began in early July to at least 356, according to an AFP tally based on police, government officials, and doctors at hospitals.

Soldiers and police in several cases did not intervene to stem Sunday’s protests, unlike during the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns.

Why are they protesting?

Since July 1, thousands of Bangladeshis have been protesting the reinstatement of the quota system, which was abolished in 2018 since it was deemed unlawful but restored on June 5.

With around 18 million young people in Bangladesh out of work, according to government data, the reintroduction of the quota scheme has deeply frustrated graduates who are already facing a severe job crisis.

Last month, the government deployed police and paramilitary forces to contain the violence, but the unrest persisted. On July 19, the government imposed a curfew and brought in the army to curb the protests.

The quota system was originally implemented by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh and father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as a reward for fighters who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. In 1997, and again in 2010, the quotas were expanded to include the descendants of freedom fighters.

Students argued that the system was unfair and called for most government jobs to be awarded based on merit.

On July 21, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh significantly reduced the number of government jobs reserved for war veterans and their descendants, in a landmark decision following violent student protests that resulted in 155 deaths.

Shah Monjurul Hoque, a lawyer representing student groups, indicated that the court ruled that only 5% of government jobs will now be reserved for the children and grandchildren of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, down from the previous 30% quota for this group.