After 15 years of uninterrupted rule, Sheikh Hasina Wajid was ousted from the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, with Army chief Gen. Wakaruz Zaman announcing talks are underway to form interim government comprising all the country’s political parties.
Confirming that Wajid has resigned, Gen. Zaman said an interim government would now run the country. Urging citizens to trust the Army, he vowed it would peace to the country. “We will also ensure that justice is served for every death and crime that occurred during the protests,” he said, calling on the public to exercise patience and cease any acts of violence and vandalism.
“We have invited representatives from all major political parties, and they have accepted our invitation and committed to collaborating with us,” he added.
Ahead of Wajid’s exit and the Army chief’s address, thousands of protesters had defied a national curfew to converge on Dhaka, vowing they would continue their demonstrations until the prime minister stepped down. According to local media, thousands of protesters entered her official residence after she was shifted to a “safe” location. Reportedly, she has since been flown out of the country to India, from where she would travel to a third location in a bid to avoid accountability and victimization following the coup underway in the country.
Earlier, after a brief respite, protests in Bangladesh had once again turned violent, with at least 100 deaths reported over the past 24 hours. In his speech, the Army chief assured the public that the deaths would be investigated and any culprits prosecuted as per law.
The protesters are seeing the announcement as a victory, with local observers saying scenes on the streets are akin to a “second independence” for the country.
Bangladesh erupted into chaos last month, with students protesting against governmental job quotas. The government responded with violence, triggering nationwide unrest and calls for the resignation of Wajid. Since the protests began, per protesters, nearly 300 people have been killed, many allegedly at the hands of law enforcers.
After several rounds of negotiation failed to end the protests, authorities imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday, deploying Army and police on the streets to hamper the demonstrations.