Bangladesh Protest Live: At least 20 people were killed during violence in Dhaka on Tuesday
Dhaka:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned today and fled Dhaka by a helicopter after thousands of protesters stormed her palace. Protestors broke through the gates of Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, prompting her to flee the country by helicopter.
Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad and is on her way to London, diplomatic sources have said. She was received by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Hindon airbase.
Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said the military would form an interim government. At least 300 people were killed in more than a month of deadly protests. The protests escalated despite the scheme having been scaled back by Bangladesh’s top court.
Here are the LIVE updates on Bangladesh unrest:
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin said on Monday that an interim government would be formed after dissolving the parliament as he ordered the release of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is under house arrest after being convicted in several cases.
He made the remarks during a meeting with the leaders of various political parties and civil society representatives at Bangabhaban in the presence of the chief of three forces, the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo reported.
“A decision has been taken to form an interim government as soon as possible by dissolving parliament. The army will also take measures to normalise the prevailing anarchic situation,” the president said.
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday asserted that India’s border with Bangladesh was secure amid the turmoil in the neighbouring country, and urged people to not pay attention to any rumours.
Mr Bose also constituted a “watchdog panel” that could be contacted round the clock to clarify any disinformation, he said.
“The governor assured that our borders (with Bangladesh) are secure. There is no need for panic. Beware of rumour mongers. Bengal is behind the Government of India, which is taking strong and effective steps to protect the borders,” a Raj Bhavan official said.
“The Raj Bhavan has put in place a high-power watchdog committee which can be contacted for any clarification against disinformation. Strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours and misleading information,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged calm in Bangladesh after the resignation and departure of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and highlighted the need for a “peaceful, orderly and democratic transition,” his spokesman said.
Guterres “stands in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and calls for the full respect of their human rights,” said the spokesman, Farhan Haq.
“He continues to underscore the need for a full, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into all acts of violence.”
The United States called Monday for all sides to avoid violence in Bangladesh, where long-ruling prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled following protests.
“We urge all parties to refrain from further violence. Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
“We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh’s laws,” he said.
Miller said the United States was “deeply saddened about the reports of human rights abuses, casualties and injuries over the weekend and past weeks.”
Britain on Monday called for “swift action” to restore democracy in Bangladesh even as reports of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina seeking UK asylum emerged from India, where she arrived after fleeing Dhaka amid violent protests.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson told reporters during a briefing at 10 Downing Street that he was “deeply saddened” by the violence in Bangladesh in recent weeks.
It came as crowds gathered in the heavily British Bangladeshi hub of east London waving the country’s flag in celebration of Hasina’s downfall.
“We hope that swift action is taken to ensure that democracy prevails and accelerate the process towards peace and security for people in Bangladesh,” Starmer’s spokesperson said in response to a question on the situation in Bangladesh.
Nepal on Monday stepped up security at its border with India following ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, fearing a potential infiltration of citizens from the violence-hit country.
The Ministry of Home Affairs instructed security agencies to adopt high alertness along the border to prevent unauthorised entry through international border areas, police said.
According to the police, the Home Ministry directed the security personnel deployed for border security to take extra precautions to prevent such infiltration.
“All security personnel deployed in the border areas have been instructed through circulars to closely monitor and take measures against potential illegal entries and activities from third countries,” said a senior official.
They have been instructed to remain high on alert from Kakarbhitta in the East to Lumbini in the West, the official said.
Following turmoil in Bangladesh, the Assam government on Monday issued “high alert” to all its districts sharing border with the neighbouring country, a senior official said.
Assam’s Karimganj, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar districts share 267.5 km of international border with Bangladesh.
“We have alerted all the border districts to be on high alert. We have asked the District Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to personally monitor the border situation,” the official told PTI.
The Cabinet Committee on Security met at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence this evening amid the turmoil in neighbouring Bangladesh – where its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid massive protests over job quotas. Read here
Bangladesh Protest LIVE: Bangladesh Curfew To End On Tuesday Dawn, Says Army
Bangladesh curfew to end at dawn Tuesday, schools and businesses to reopen: Army
Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday ordered the release of jailed former prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia, hours after her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the military took power.
The president’s press team said in a statement that a meeting led by Shahabuddin had “decided unanimously to free Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately”.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Parliament House on Monday and discussed the development in Bangladesh, Congress sources said.
Sheikh Hasina has resigned as Bangladesh prime minister and an interim government is taking over, Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced in Dhaka on Monday, in a dramatic development amid massive anti-government protests that claimed more than 100 lives in the last two days.
Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on her way to London, diplomatic sources said.
“Rahul Gandhi met S Jaishankar on the sidelines in the Lok Sabha, Parliament House complex, and discussed the recent developments in Bangladesh,” a Congress source said.
An unruly mob on Monday damaged the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum located at the Dhanmondi area in the Bangladesh capital, witnesses said.
Hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh amid the growing unrest, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has ruled out any political comeback for her. Mr Joy said Sheikh Hasina is “deeply disappointed” by the uprising against her leadership, despite her efforts to transform Bangladesh.
In an interview with the BBC World Service’s Newshour program, he said Sheikh Hasina had been contemplating resignation since Sunday.
”She has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia,” he told the BBC.
Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Monday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured him that infiltration would not be allowed from Bangladesh which is going through turmoil.
The Tipra Motha, a tribal-based party, is a constituent of the ruling BJP-led alliance in Tripura.
“Spoken to the Hon Home minister @AmitShah who has assured all that the borders of India are well protected and no illegal influx will be allowed. He is monitoring the situation and asked our forces to remain vigil on the borders,” Mr Debbarma said in a Facebook post.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday issued a “high alert” across all its formations along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in the wake of the developments in the neighbouring country, officials said in Delhi.
“Trust the indigenous people to protect our boundaries, secure our borders. Internal security of India is threatened especially in the Northeast when Bangladesh is unstable,” Mr Debbarma said.
At least 56 people were killed during violent unrest in Bangladesh on Monday as the prime minister was ousted, police and doctors said, updating an earlier count.
At least 44 of the dead were brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, an AFP correspondent said, reporting all had bullet wounds. Police said 11 others were killed elsewhere in the capital, and another in the port city of Chittagong.
Bangladesh’s anti-discrimination movement coordinators on Monday called on students to ensure that no one gets an opportunity to “loot” in the situation arising in the country after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, urging them to protest peacefully till the desired goal is achieved.
The students’ protests in Bangladesh started last month against a controversial job quota scheme and later turned into an anti-government agitation.
Earlier in the day, Army chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced that Hasina had resigned and an interim government was being formed.
He urged protesters to end the violence and vowed “justice” for all the people.
Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Monday said the state government has decided to impose a curfew along the international border with Bangladesh, amid the unrest in the neighbouring country.
The curfew along over 444 km of the boundary stretch will be applicable from 6 pm to 6 am daily until further notice, he said.
The decision was taken during an urgent meeting with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and the Meghalaya Police.
A Dhaka-bound IndiGo flight from Chennai was diverted to Kolkata following the unrest in Bangladesh and the closure of the airport in its capital on Monday, an official said here.
The flight landed at Kolkata at 4.56pm and left for Chennai after refuelling.
Kolkata airport received a message from the Dhaka airport in the afternoon that it would be closed till 22.30 pm, according to another official.
Flight 6E 1113 with 81 passengers on board was diverted to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata due to unrest in Dhaka, an Airports Authorities of India (AAI) official said.
S Jaishankar Meets PM Modi As Sheikh Hasina Flees Bangladesh After Army Coup
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar about the violence in neighbouring Bangladesh – in which over 300 have died so far – and the resignation of former PM Sheikh Hasina and the fall of her government.
#6ETravelAdvisory : In view of the ongoing situation in #Dhaka, all flights scheduled for tomorrow have unfortunately been cancelled. We understand that this may cause significant inconvenience and disruption to your travel plans and we sincerely regret this development.
– IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 5, 2024
Bangladesh Unrest Live: NSA Ajit Doval Receives Sheikh Hasina At Hindon Airbase
NSA Ajit Doval received former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon airbase and received her.
Protesters lounging on a bed and clicking selfies were among many visuals, being labelled as from inside the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s official residence, which went viral online after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left her country.
Sheikh Hasina, 77, feted chief of the Awami League and three-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh, stepped down today amid a 45-minute ultimatum of the army and took a flight out of the violence-torn nation for an unknown destination. It would probably be familiar territory for a leader who started her political journey with an exile after the assassination of her father by officers of the Bangladesh army. Read here
Bangladesh Unrest Live: Bangladesh Parliament Taken Over By Mob
Bangladesh Parliament has been taken over by the mob and there is total anarchy on the streets of Dhaka.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
In view of the emerging situation in Bangladesh, we have cancelled the scheduled operation of our flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect. We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers with confirmed bookings…
– Air India (@airindia) August 5, 2024
Local media in Bangladesh reported on Monday that “thousands of protesters” have vandalised the residence of the country’s Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in Dhanmondi, an upscale area in Dhaka, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Witnesses reported that thousands of protesters broke through the entrance and entered the minister’s residence. Smoke was billowing from inside the house, and vandalism was taking place within the premises,” Dhaka Tribune reported.
Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has landed at Hindon Air Base in a C-130 transport aircraft. The aircraft will be parked near the Indian Air Force’s C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft hangars.
The aircraft movement was monitored by Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into Indian airspace to Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad: ANI quoting Sources
Bangladesh Unrest LIVE: Dhaka Airport Closed Till 10:30pm
Dhaka Airport will remain closed till 10.30 pm amid massive Bangladesh protests. Due to unrest in Dhaka, the aircraft carrying Sheikh Hasina has been diverted to Kolkata.
The services of Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express will remain cancelled on Tuesday, the Eastern Railway said, citing a message from the authorities concerned in Bangladesh.
The services of Maitree Express, which has not been operational since July 19, will remain suspended on August 6, the ER said in a statement.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday amid massive protests against her government that claimed more than 100 lives in the last two days.
An interim government is taking over, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced on Monday.
The operations of the bi-weekly Kolkata-Khulna-Kolkata Bandhan Express have also remained cancelled since July 21 following large-scale violent protests.
Railways Suspend Train Operations To Bangladesh
Indian Railways has suspended the trains operations to Bangladesh.
The Delhi Police has beefed up security at the Bangladesh High Commission in Chanakyapuri here in the wake of developments in the neighbouring country, an officer said on Monday.
Police have also made tightened security outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport, in case Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lands in the national capital.
Hasina has resigned and an interim government is taking over, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced on Monday.
Amid the ongoing unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to the people of the state to maintain peace and avoid provocation.
Declining to comment on developments in Bangladesh, the chief minister said it is a matter for the Ministry of External Affairs to respond.
“I would appeal to all citizens of West Bengal to maintain peace and avoid all forms of provocation,” Ms Banerjee told reporters at the West Bengal assembly.
“Whatever decision the Centre takes on this issue, we will abide by it,” she said.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the political crisis in Bangladesh, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi says, “It is a very sad development, especially seeing how Bangladesh was heading towards development and now it is headed towards anarchy. As immediate neighbours, India should be… pic.twitter.com/ozQI750B7k
– ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024
Shortly after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fled the country, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the Chief of Army Staff, announced that he would form the interim government. With the world’s cameras pointing at him, he stood in front of a podium stating, “I am taking full responsibility.”
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned today and left the country following more than a month of deadly anti-government protests. Army chief General Waker-Us-Zaman said that an interim government would be formed.
The 76-year-old leader is said to have flown in a Bangladesh military aircraft with her sister, reports said.
#WATCH | Delhi: On political crisis in Bangladesh, former Foreign Secretary and ex-Ambassador to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, “…I would also look at it as an economic factor and opportunists – whether it is the Opposition BNT or Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami…They… pic.twitter.com/ymJeoBlMpK
– ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024
Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters defied curfew and stormed the Prime Minister’s palace in capital Dhaka after reports surfaced that Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country. Read here
#WATCH | On reports of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina leaving official residence in Dhaka, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh says, “This pressure and the demonstrations were mounting. Clearly, the government there was under pressure. The Army… pic.twitter.com/8IMeKffpLC
– ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024
Public sector LIC on Monday said its office in Bangladesh will remain closed till August 7, reported news agency PTI.
In a regulatory filing, LIC said, “The office of LIC of Bangladesh Ltd will remain closed during the period from August 05, 2024 to August 07, 2024, due to the prevailing socio-political situation in Bangladesh.” The government of Bangladesh has declared a curfew for 3 days from August 05, 2024, to August 07, 2024, LIC said
Airport Director Agartala airport has denied about any Helicopter landing at Agartala Airport.
End violence, will meet your demands, said Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman Monday to protesters, adding that he will form an interim government after prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the capital in the face of overwhelming protests. Read here
Sheikh Hasina once helped rescue Bangladesh from military rule, but her time in power has seen the mass arrest of her political opponents and human rights sanctions against her security forces.
The son of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the country’s security forces to block any takeover from her rule as hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded she quit.
Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said Monday he will form an interim government after the prime minister resigned and fled the capital in the face of overwhelming protests.
“We will form an interim government,” Waker said in a broadcast to the nation on state television, adding Sheikh Hasina had resigned.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday issued a “high alert” across all its formations along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in the wake of the developments in the neighbouring country, officials said.
BSF director general (acting) Daljit Singh Chawdhary and other senior commanders have landed in Kolkata to review the security situation, they said.
The force has directed all its field commanders to be “on ground” and “deploy all personnel on border duty immediately”, a senior officer told PTI.
The leaves of all the personnel posted along the Bangladesh border were cancelled in the last few weeks after Bangladesh witnessed massive protests and now all units have been asked to “acquire an all alert posture”, he said.
In a press briefing, Bangladesh Army said, ”Business will continue as usual and interim government will be formed by army. The armed forces will take all decisions. I take all responsibility.”
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the capital by helicopter on Monday without time to prepare as vast crowds of angry protesters demanded she quit, a source close to her told AFP.
“Her security team asked her leave, she did not find any time to prepare”, the source said, adding she left first by motorcade but then was flown out, without saying her destination. “She was later evacuated on a helicopter.”
Bangladesh Unrest Live: Sheikh Hasina Was Given 45 Minutes By Army To Quit, Says Report
Bangladesh Army had given an ultimatum of 45 minutes to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 45 to resign from her post, reports suggest.
LIVE: Bangladesh PM Quits, Leaves Country Amid Clashes, Reports Reuters
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country on Monday, reported Reuters, as more people were killed in some of the worst violence since the birth of the South Asian nation more than five decades ago.
Sheikh Hasina Leaves Bangladesh, Headed To West Bengal: Local Report
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left Bangladesh in the face of massive protests demanding her resignation. She and her sister Rehana have left in a military helicopter and are headed to West Bengal, reports Prothom Alo citing sources.
Protesters have stormed the Bangladesh prime minister’s palace in Dhaka, news agency AFP reported citing TV footage. Bangladesh’s Channel 24 broadcast images of crowds running into the premier’s official residence in the capital, waving to the camera as they celebrated. Sheikh Hasina has already flee the capital city in the face of mass protests demanding her resignation, according to a source close to her.
A senior advisor to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told AFP that the resignation of the embattled leader was a “possibility” after being questioned as to whether she would quit. “The situation is such that this is a possibility, but I don’t know how it will happen,” the aide close to the premier said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The son of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the country’s security forces to block any takeover from her rule as hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded she quit. “Your duty is to keep our people safe and our country safe and to uphold the constitution,” US-based Sajeeb Wazed Joy said in a post on Facebook. “It means don’t allow any unelected government to come in power for one minute, it is your duty.”
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left the capital Dhaka in the face of mass protests demanding her resignation, a source close to the embattled leader told AFP on Monday. “She and her sister have left Ganabhaban (the premier’s official residence) for a safer place,” the source told AFP. “She wanted to record a speech. But she could not get an opportunity to do that.”
