INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has resigned and left the country, the head of the army has confirmed, amid some of the
worst violence since the birth of the south Asian country more than 50 years ago.In a briefing to reporters, Army Chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman
Bangladesh since 2009, left by helicopter, a source close to the leader told Agence France-Presse news agency shortly after protesters had
stormed her palace in the capital, Dhaka.Celebrations erupted among the crowds who had been on the streets of Dhaka for another day of
protests.The internet was cut for several hours overnight and residents told the Guardian of raids and gunshots, including in the most
institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the killing of opposition activists.The latest
student-led protests began over a quota system they said disproportionately allocated government jobs to the descendants of freedom fighters
supreme court overturning the quota law
Agence France-Presse reported there had been 94 deaths on Sunday.The demonstrations escalated despite the scheme having been scaled back by
of about 170 million people.During the briefing at army headquarters, Zaman promised an investigation into the deaths.A curfew was put in
place on Monday and offices and factories were closed but protesters have still taken to the streets
Bangladeshi TV channels showed jubilant demonstrators dancing and chanting at locations across Dhaka.One protester sent the Guardian a video
of a crowd marching and shouting in celebration, some of them waving Bangladeshi flags, near Shahbagh, where protesters had planned to
Cars could be seen burning inside the compound
Bangladesh and former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was also attacked and smashed by a mob, according to witnesses.Badiul Alam Majumdar,
sense of jubilation has been tempered by concern about instability because of the chaos on the streets
The army has announced Dhaka airport will be closed for six hours.Hasina is the longest-serving leader in the history of the predominantly
Before being elected in 2009, in a vote boycotted by the opposition, she had already been prime minister between 1996 and 2001.Her political
opponents have accused her of growing increasingly autocratic and called her a threat to democracy.Her father, the independence leader of
Bangladesh, was assassinated in 1975 during an army coup
Most of his family members were killed, with the exception of his two daughters, Hasina and Sheikh Rehana
Regional media reported Monday afternoon that the two sisters had now fled to India with tens of thousands of people tracking a Hercules
military plane thought to be hers.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
