Sheikh Hasina Quits As Bangladesh PM, Flees Country Amid Unrest

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stepped down from her position and left Dhaka amidst violent protests, according to a source cited by AFP. Reports indicate she is on her way to India.

“She and her sister have left Ganabhaban (the Prime Minister’s official residence) for a safer place,” a source told AFP. Reports from ANI indicate that she departed from Bangabhaban around 2:30 pm on Monday in a military helicopter, accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Army has given Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a 45-minute ultimatum to resign from her post.

Last month, violent protests led by student groups opposing reserved quotas in government jobs resulted in at least 150 deaths and thousands of injuries.

The ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group, which spearheaded last month’s job quota protests, is now leading the current demonstrations.

Although the protests paused after the Supreme Court abolished most quotas on July 21, demonstrators returned last week. They are now demanding a public apology from Hasina for the violence, the restoration of internet connections, the reopening of college and university campuses, and the release of those arrested.

(This is a developing story. More details are awaited.)