Sheikh Hasina Resigns: From Quota Protests To Bangladesh PM Exit Amid Violence — A Timeline

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned, as confirmed by Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman. The protests, embroiled in violence and calls for justice, ultimately led to Hasina's departure.

File Photo of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Source : PTI

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned, as confirmed by Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman on Monday. An interim government is set to take over immediately to address the escalating unrest in the country, reports news agency Reuters. The resignation follows intense protests led by the 'Students Against Discrimination' group, who were previously at the forefront of last month's job quota demonstrations.

Initially pausing after the Bangladesh Supreme Court scrapped most quotas on July 21, the protests resumed with demands for a public apology from Hasina for the violence, restoration of internet services, reopening of educational institutions, and the release of arrested individuals.

By the weekend, the demonstrations had escalated into a broader campaign seeking Hasina’s resignation, fuelled by demands for justice for those killed in the previous month’s clashes. The students' group called for a nationwide non-cooperation movement with a single-point agenda: Hasina must step down.

Sheikh Hasina Resigns: From Student Protests To Bangladesh PM Exit  — A Timeline

The timeline of events details a series of escalating clashes and government responses:

July 1: University students initiated blockades, disrupting roads and railways to demand reforms in the public sector job quota system, which they claimed favoured Hasina's Awami League loyalists. Despite winning a fifth term in January, Hasina dismissed the protests, stating students were "wasting their time", Bangladesh-based The Daily Star reported.

July 16: Violence intensified with six people killed in clashes between protesters and pro-government supporters in Dhaka. The government responded by closing schools and universities nationwide.

July 17: Police attacked students at various universities during a symbolic "absentee funeral" for student martyrs. Students announced a nationwide "complete shutdown" for the next day. Hasina announced a judicial probe into the previous day's killings.

July 18: Protesters rejected Hasina’s appeal for calm, torching government buildings and demanding her resignation. The government imposed an internet blackout and deployed soldiers to curb the unrest, resulting in at least 32 deaths and hundreds injured.

July 19: A nationwide curfew and army deployment were announced after violence claimed 66 lives. Government establishments were vandalised, and key opposition leaders were detained, according to The Daily Star's report.

July 20: At least 21 people were killed on the first day of the curfew amid army deployment. The curfew was extended until further notice, and a two-day public holiday was declared. Key organisers of the quota demonstrations were detained, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders were arrested.

July 21: The Supreme Court ruled against reintroducing job quotas, a decision seen as aligning with Hasina's government. The verdict failed to satisfy protesters, who continued their demands for the abolition of job reservations for children of "freedom fighters" from the 1971 independence war.

July 22: Six more injured in previous clashes died, raising the death toll to 146. Hasina warned BNP and Jamaat of consequences, while the army chief hoped for a return to normalcy. Arrests of BNP and Jamaat leaders continued.

July 24: Inter-district bus and launch services partially resumed.

July 25: Bangladesh Jatiya Party leader Partha Andaleeve and businessman David Hasnat were among dozens arrested, while social media remained off-limits. The UN, Amnesty International, the US, and Canada called for an end to the crackdown. Hasina made her first public appearance since the army deployment, visiting a damaged metro rail station.

July 26: The Detective Branch (DB) of police detained three organisers. The BNP called for national unity and the ouster of the Bangladeshi government. Hasina visited Dhaka Medical College Hospital on the second day of her public appearances after the curfew announcement. The UN called for an end to the crackdown and the full restoration of internet services.

July 27: Block raids targeting protesters, mostly students, continued as the DB detained two more quota protest organisers. Fourteen foreign missions urged the Sheikh Hasina government to hold law enforcers accountable for wrongdoing. Hasina visited Pongu Hospital, stating that the violence was intended to cripple the economy.

July 28: The nationwide crackdown continued, with over 213,000 people accused in over 200 cases in Dhaka city alone. Mobile internet was restored, but social media remained shut. After having a meal with DB chief Harunor Rashid at his office, six organisers taken into custody read out a written statement, lifting the movement. Outside, a section of organisers vowed to press on. The Bangladesh government announced the death toll for the first time, setting it at 147.

July 29: Protesters took to the streets again in some districts, facing police obstructions and detentions. The Bangladesh government announced plans to ban Jamaat-Shibir. The High Court rebuked the DB for its handling of the six quota organisers, including sharing a photograph of them sharing a meal on social media.

July 30: Students and teachers at Jahangirnagar University held a silent procession, while teachers at several universities held rallies. Guardians protested the deaths of children, obstructed by police. Eminent citizens blamed the Sheikh Hasina government for the loss of lives. Hasina announced the government would seek "foreign help" for a judicial probe and declared a nationwide mourning for the next day. The police crackdown continued.

July 31: Protesters rejected the Bangladesh government-called nationwide mourning and staged demonstrations in the capital and elsewhere. The six quota movement organisers remained in DB custody. Eminent citizens formed a probe body and urged public support, the report informed. The European Union delayed partnership talks with Dhaka. Hundreds of HSC students announced a boycott of exams if fellow examinees were not released from police custody or jail.

August 1: The government issued a gazette banning Jamaat-Shibir under the anti-terrorism act. The UN offered to send a fact-finding team, and Hasina said the UN was "free to probe the violence". The six organisers were freed from DB custody. Protesters held mass processions and prayers for those killed. Teachers and students of five public universities staged demonstrations.

August 2: Demonstrators continued protests against the killings, with thousands joining a march for justice. Protesters were attacked by Awami League activists and police in the capital and elsewhere, leaving two more dead. Protesters announced a countrywide demonstration for the next day and a non-cooperation movement starting Sunday. Facebook was blocked again for seven hours. The six organisers stated, "the statement of withdrawal made from the DB office was not voluntary".

August 4: On Sunday, hundreds of thousands clashed with government supporters again, resulting in 68 deaths, including 14 police officers. Former army chief General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan urged the government to withdraw troops and condemned the killings. Current army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman stated the armed forces "always stood by the people".

August 5: Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman confirmed Hasina’s resignation and the formation of an interim government within 24 to 48 hours. The army appealed for peace and calm, urging civilians to stay indoors and women and children to remain at home. A coup has started in Bangladesh, the country is under military rule, sources from Bangladesh told ABP LIVE. 

The situation in Bangladesh remains tense as the nation awaits the establishment of the interim government and the resolution of ongoing conflicts.