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The army chief of Bangladesh says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned after weeks of unrest.
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In an address to the nation, General Waker-Uz-Zaman also says an interim government will be formed to run the country.
A ‘new Bangladesh and political order will be built’, say student organisers
Members of the Students Against Discrimination protest group say power “must be” handed over to the “revolutionary students and citizens”, adding that any other scenario will “not be accepted”.
“The fascists and murderers will be brought to justice on the soil of Bengal; no one will be given the chance to escape,” coordinators Mohammed Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud said in a joint statement on Facebook.
“By the evening, innocent people, political prisoners, and those who have been forcibly disappeared must be released.”
The statement added that not only will Hasina’s government go but the “fascist system” will also be abolished, and a “new Bangladesh and political order will be built”.
“No one will leave the streets without achieving final victory,” it said.
How the unrest began
Students began protesting last month when a controversial job quota system that favoured children of war veterans was reinstated by the High Court.
The government responded by shutting down universities and using the police and military to crack down on protesters.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina imposed a nationwide curfew and cut off access to phones and the internet.
Some 200 people, mostly students, were killed. Thousands were arrested.
On July 21, Bangladesh’s top court stepped in, ruling that the quotas should be scaled back from 30 percent to 5 percent, with 3 percent for relatives of veterans.
Last week, demonstrations resumed with protesters issuing new demands, including bringing justice and accountability for those killed and for Hasina to step down.
The prime minister had vowed a strong response, calling the demonstrators criminals and saboteurs.
Hasina lands in India’s Agartala, local media reports say
The Bangladeshi leader has landed in India’s northeastern city of Agartala after fleeing Dhaka, Indian media reports say.
New Delhi is set to offer a safe passage to Hasina, the reports added, citing intelligence sources.
‘Military rule not a solution at this moment’: Students Against Discrimination
Following the army chief’s statement, the Students Against Discrimination group which has spearheaded the antigovernment protests has issued a statement rejecting military rule, saying those who “brought revolution” will decide who rules the country.
“We believe that military rule is not a solution at this moment. The students and the public, who have brought about this revolution and achieved victory, will decide who will take power in the country. We have driven out fascism, and we will not allow fascism to take root in Bangladesh in the future. We are committed to uprooting any fascist systems,” the group said in a statement.
“Therefore, military rule is not a solution at this moment. The students and the public will decide who will be appointed to the interim government. The student coordinators of the movement will provide further details on this matter later.”
Source: Al Jazeera
