PM Hasina resigns as protest turned into chaos in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country amidst rising violent protests and political turmoil. The army took over and will now help the interim government to run the country. A video showed that PM Hasina landed in India on Monday with her sister. Protests, which began over controversial job quota reforms, rapidly evolved into broader demands for her resignation. This resulted in several causalities due to clashes between protesters and security agencies in the country.

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It is reported that Sheikh Hasina fled her official residence, Ganabhaban, in an army helicopter together with her sister, amidst the rising tide of violence. The resignation of Prime Minister Hasina comes after a spate of days of rising violence and a military takeover of the government. According to one senior advisor of the Prime Minister, it was already expected that Hasina would have to resign as things were going from bad to worse.

The immediate spark of this crisis was the government’s decision to impose job quotas for certain groups, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the population. Then, the protests really took off as participants began to make broader statements about corruption, economic issues, and political repression. As the protests gained momentum, so did the violence—resulting in several deaths and injuries in clashes between protesters and police.

Things took a serious turn when the military stepped in, reportedly to restore order. In a surprise move, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of the jailed opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in an apparent bid to assuage protesters and ease heightened tensions. The imprisonment of Zia lay at the core of the contested matter between the government and opposition forces.

The international community has reacted sharply to the crisis. The United States is concerned about unfolding events and has urged all parties to shun violence and work toward a democratic, inclusive transitional government. The UK has demanded a UN-led inquiry into the violence and called on all sides to work together to restore calm.

The Indian government is also keeping a close watch on the situation, as any regional fallout can easily spill over into its borders. In New Delhi, a meeting by the Cabinet Committee on Security, helmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reviewed developments in Bangladesh. Indian security forces have been put on high alert along the 4,096-kilometer India-Bangladesh border, while the Indian Air Force has also heightened its preparedness in the eastern sector. Flights between India and Bangladesh have been put on hold as a precautionary measure.

The turmoil in Bangladesh poses a potent challenge to the region. The political instability can have far-reaching effects on neighbouring countries, especially India, with which Bangladesh shares a very long and porous border. The geopolitical repercussions are immense, simply because Bangladesh forms the strategic node of South Asia.

In summary, the drama in the country’s politics took an even more dramatic turn of events as Sheikh Hasina resigned and left Bangladesh. What has developed with these events has put Bangladesh into uncertainty, with the military readying a big role in the transitional government. The international community continues to urge peace and calm to get out of this crisis, but there remains no clarity yet as to which direction to pursue as the nation tries to sort itself through its best political turn of events in recent years.