BANGLADESHI PRIME MINISTER Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country over the weekend after weeks of protests and violence that left hundreds of people dead.

The former leader, who had led the country since 2009, was ousted by student protesters over a controversial government jobs quota that was reinstated and led to large-scale protests and violent unrest in the streets since early July.

At least 113 people were killed yesterday in what was the deadliest day of violence since the protests began last month, bringing the total number of fatalities to at least 413, according to a tally based on police, government officials and doctors at hospitals compiled by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Security forces had sought to quell the unrest, but as the protests and death toll grew Hasina finally fled Bangladesh aboard a helicopter as the military turned against her.

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced yesterday afternoon on state television that Hasina had resigned and the military would form an interim government.

Why are there protests and violence in Bangladesh?

The unrest began early last month in the form of protests against civil service job quotas, which reserve many government jobs for certain groups.

Some 30% of these government posts, which come with greater security and pay, are reserved for the relatives of veterans of the war in which Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan in the 1970s.

The culturally sensitive issue has been a point of contention between the Bangladeshi government and young voters for many years.

In 2018, a similar student-led protest against the quota system was successful in removing the system, however, it was reinstated by the courts in June, following legal action from the descendants of veterans.

This decision sparked renewed protests from the Bangladeshi youth and then escalated into wider calls for Hasina to stand down after they were met with resistance from security forces.

The protests were paused in late July after the Supreme Court scrapped most of the quotas in a ruling, dismissing the lower court’s decision. However, they returned soon after with protesters turning their attention towards Hasina and her response to the unrest.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressing a press conference. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Her government was accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

A large number of people have been detained for their role in protests over the last month.

Hasina was also accused of rigging the elections in January this year, which saw her win her fourth straight term after the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, boycotted the election, alleging it was a sham.

Why are the quotas so controversial?

The quotas have sparked anger among young people due to a flagging economy and declining job prospects. Many of the more than 30 million young people out of work or education see the quotas as creating a two-tiered system.

The government jobs on offer are highly desirable due to their stability and benefits and as a result, the hiring process is highly competitive.

Student protesters clash with police in July. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The students argue that having the quotas in place leaves fewer opportunities for those not from families of war veterans to obtain the coveted government positions.

The quotas have also previously been extended in 1997 and 2010 to include the children and grandchildren of the war veterans, a move many saw as unfair and a perpetuation of the political class.

The anger over the return of the quotas was also fuelled by Bangladesh’s struggling economy. Unemployment, particularly among young people, is high and inflation sits at around 10%.

The rise in the cost of living has made government jobs even more desirable and students have demanded for the quotas to be scrapped and a return to merit-based system.  

What will happen now?

The announcement that Hasina had fled was met with jubilant scenes in Bangladesh, with millions of people flooding to the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city, to celebrate.

People gather to mark the downfall of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

But there were also scenes of chaos and anger, with police reporting mobs launching revenge attacks on Hasina’s allies.

Protesters stormed parliament and torched TV stations, while some smashed statues of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s independence hero.

Others set a museum dedicated to the former leader on fire, flames licking at portraits in destruction barely thinkable just hours before when Hasina still had the loyalty of the security forces in her autocratic grip.

Some businesses and homes owned by Hindus – a group seen by some in the Muslim-majority nation as having been close to Hasina – were also attacked, witnesses told AFP.

The army has taken control of the country in Hasina’s wake, with the army chief meeting with President Mohammed Shahabuddin late yesterday.

Parliament has been dissolved with the army chief promising an interim government and fresh elections.

The youthful protesters have called on Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to lead a caretaker government and the army is expected to meet with the student protest leaders to hear their demands.

Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

President Shahabuddin has also ordered the release of prisoners from the protests, as well as former prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia, 78.

Zia, who is in poor health, was jailed by her arch-rival Hasina for graft in 2018.

With reporting from © AFP 2024.