Sheikh Hasina resigns as Bangladesh PM, interim government to take charge, says Army Chief

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned from her position and an interim government will run Bangladesh said the country’s Chief of Army Staff General Waqar-uz-Zaman on Monday.

The Bangladesh 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 of the nationwide violence.

“Maintain peace and order in the country. You trust me, let’s work together. Please help. I won’t get anything by fighting. Avoid conflict. We have built a beautiful country together,” the Army Chief said.

In response to a question from journalists, the Army Chief said that he had a meeting with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Teachers Afis Nazrul and Jonayet Saki were also present at the meeting, as per reports in Bangladesh media.

Chief of Army Staff General Waqar-uz-Zaman said, “We will now go to Bangabhaban.” There will be a detailed discussion about the formation of the interim government. He advised the students to calm down. The Army Chief also said there was no need to impose a countrywide curfew or declare an emergency in the country.

Earlier, local Bangladesh newspaper Prothom Alo reported that Sheikh Hasina had left Dhaka in a military chopper amid nationwide violence. While Bangladesh media speculated that she could have left for India, no independent confirmation was received on this.

The newspaper reported that several people had entered the Ganabhaban the official residence of the prime minister, after receiving news that Sheikh Hasina had left Bangladesh in an Army Helicopter, accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana for a “safer place.” Protesters forced open the gates of Gono Bhaban and entered the premises of the prime minister’s residence around 3 pm today, The Daily Star reported.

The agitators also attacked and vandalised the residence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Prothom Alo reported.

Earlier, 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 Ganabhaban to end the violence focused on the quota reform protests.