Sources suggest the Bangladesh Prime Minister flew to West Bengal, India…reports Asian Lite News
Domestic churn in Bangladesh over the contentious reservations that the Supreme Court later struck down has forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit her post and flee the country.
Following the development, the country’s Chief of Army Staff General Waqar-uz-Zaman, an interim government will run the country. The Army Chief said the political transition is underway, and all “murders will be judged.”
He also called on the people of the country to trust the Army while appealing for an immediate stop to the nationwide violence.
Reports suggest that Hasina was accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, in the chopper ProthomAlo, citing sources claiming that the Bangladesh Prime Minister departed for West Bengal in India by helicopter.
Earlier in the day, protesters forced open the gates of Gono Bhaban and entered the premises of the prime minister’s residence around 3 pm. Thousands of people joined the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement’s “March to Dhaka” programme at the Mirpur 10 roundabout and moved towards Farmgate.
On August 3, organisers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced a single-point demand for the resignation of Hasina and her cabinet members. Nahid Islam, one of the key organisers, announced the demand at a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’s announcement came after Bangladesh PM Hasina urged the agitating students to sit with her at Gono Bhaban to end the violence focused on the quota reform protests.
She said, “Doors of Gono Bhaban are open. I want to sit with the agitating students and listen to them. I want no conflict.”
She made the remarks during a meeting with the central leaders of the Peshajibi Somonnoy Parishad (Professionals Coordination Council) at Gono Bhaban on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the anti-discrimination student movement has announced that it will hold a “March to Dhaka” programme today to raise its one-point demand, which is the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
They urged students and people nationwide to participate in the march to Dhaka. Three coordinators of the movement–Asif Mahmud, Sarjis Alam, and Abu Baker Majumder, have confirmed their march, The Daily Star reported.
In the wake of the deepening crisis, Bangladesh announced the shutdown of public and private offices, including banks, for three days, while students have scheduled a long march for today, setting themselves on a potential collision course with pro-government groups, according to The Daily Star report.
The new wave of protests comes as demonstrators raised only one demand: the resignations of Hasina and her cabinet members. They also initiated a campaign of non-cooperation at the same time, advising citizens not to pay taxes and migrant workers not to remit money home via banking systems.
At least 93 people were killed as a fresh wave of violence gripped Bangladesh. Over thousands have sustained injuries, many with bullets, the Daily Star reported on Monday.
The situation in Bangladesh became more tense after members of the ruling Awami League poured into the streets to quell anti-government demonstrations, turning things violent.
The protests in Bangladesh have erupted due to demands for reforming the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans.
The unrest intensified after students opposed a new policy allocating government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, leading to violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.
BSF issues high alert on Bangladesh-India border
In light of Bangladesh’s current law and order situation, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has put the India-Bangladesh border on high alert for two days starting Monday.
BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary reached Kolkata today to keep a close watch and monitor the developments.
A senior BSF officer has confirmed that in the wake of developments in Bangladesh, a high alert has been issued to BSF frontiers at the India-Bangladesh border and personnel at North and South Bengal Frontiers have been instructed to intensify patrolling.
Another BSF officer confirmed that an “Ops alert” exercise was underway to ensure practical border domination and management. Since July 18, the BSF has facilitated the entry of Indian students.
Security along the Indo-Bangladesh border has been increased to ensure that any infiltration/or illegal entry of any national is thwarted, added the officer.
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