Thousands of Bangladeshi citizens have taken to the streets over the past few weeks in anti-government protests, and on Sunday they stormed the official residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, forcing her to flee the country for India and resign.
Bangladesh has been in turmoil over the past few weeks as citizens protest high unemployment, government job quotas which aim to benefit "veterans," AKA the families of the guerrilla militants that fought against Pakistan in 1971 to form Bangladesh, and corruption in general.
Young people are particularly angry about the quota system, which gives 30% of all government jobs to the families of the guerrilla militants, keeping many qualified students/job candidates from pursuing opportunities.
Protesters called for a 'non-cooperation' effort, urging people not to pay taxes or utility bills and not to show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to their jobs.
Violence was seen all over the capital of Dhaka.
Some crude bombs were detonated, and gunshots were heard, witnesses said. At least 20 people were hit by bullets in the area …
The Jamuna television news channel reported that violent clashes took place across more than a dozen districts...
11,000 citizens have been arrested in Bangladesh over the past few weeks, and 94 people died on Sunday alone. More than 300 protesters have reportedly been killed by police.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's departure threatens to create even more instability in the nation on India's border already dealing with a series of crises, from high unemployment and corruption to climate change.
(LOL they had to throw a climate bit in there!)
Amid security concerns, the capital's main airport suspended operations.
Here's some footage of the protests:
[Warning: Violence]
The country's military chief, Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman, has set up an interim government.
Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. She served as prime minister from 1996-2001 and from 2008-2024. She has also been criticized for signing laws that severely restrict freedom of speech, including a 2018 law that allows the government to imprison anyone for speech it finds "inappropriate." In 2022, her government shut down nearly 200 websites that were critical of her government.
Hasina's father was a secular socialist, and her own policies have been left-leaning. She has also been criticized by the Muslim majority for being too friendly with Hindu-majority India.
Hindus are posting on social media with concerns that the uprisings are targeting the Hindu minority in Bangladesh:
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