Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country amid weeks of deadly protests against her government. Hasina, who has been in power for a combined 20 years, boarded a military helicopter with her sister and departed for India after crowds besieged her palace in the capital Dhaka, ignoring a curfew.
The protests began in July with students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, but escalated into broader anti-government demonstrations after clashes with police left over 300 people dead. On Sunday alone, nearly 100 protesters and 14 police officers were killed in the worst single day of violence since Bangladesh’s independence.
Hasina’s resignation comes as the military has taken control, with Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman urging citizens to trust the army to restore peace and ensure justice for the protest deaths. He has invited representatives from major political parties to collaborate on an interim government.
Thousands of jubilant protesters flooded the streets of Dhaka to celebrate Hasina’s departure. The 76-year-old prime minister had won a fourth straight term in January, in an election boycotted by the opposition.
The resignation marks a dramatic end to Hasina’s two decades in power and comes amid the most severe political crisis Bangladesh has faced since independence over 50 years ago