People's power prevails

Bangladesh PM flees after massive protests; army moves in to form interim govt

DHAKA:

The Bangladeshi military moved in on Monday to form an interim government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in the wake of more than a month of deadly protests that killed at least 356 people nationwide.

The prime minister's flight to London after a brief stay in neighbouring India marks the end of her 15-year rule. Hasina, daughter of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, fled after brutal unrest in which nearly 100 people were killed on Sunday and another 56 on Monday.

Bangladesh's army chief Gen Waker-uz-Zaman said in a broadcast to the nation on state television that Hasina had resigned and the military would form a caretaker government. "The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed – it is time to stop the violence," he said.

Waker addressed the nation shortly after jubilant crowds stormed and looted Hasina's official resi-dence. Crowds waved Bangladeshi flags, some dancing on top of a tank, before thousands broke through the gates of Hasina's residence. Others later stormed parliament.

Bangladesh's Channel 24 broadcast images of crowds running into the prime minister's compound, grinning and waving to the camera, looting furniture and books, or relaxing on beds. Mobs also raided and ransacked the homes of Hasina's Awami League party allies as well as police stations.

"The homes and businesses of pro-Awami League people have been attacked," a senior police officer said, calling the violence "mob rule". Others torched television stations that had backed Hasina's rule, smashed statues of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and set fire to a museum dedicated to him.

Gen Waker, 58, who had taken over as army chief only on June 23, said protests should end now and vowed that "all the injustices will be addressed". He added that he had held talks with leaders of major political parties, excluding Hasina's Awami League.

He announced that he would soon meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the way ahead and to form a caretaker government. However, it was not immediately clear whether he him-self would lead it. "The country is going through a revolutionary period," he said.

"I promise you all, we will bring justice to all the murders and injustice. We request you to have faith in the army of the country," he added. "Please don't go back to the path of violence and please return to non-violent and peaceful ways."

Security forces had supported Hasina's government throughout the unrest, which began last month in the form of protests against civil service job quotas and then escalated into wider calls for her to stand down. Hasina, 76, fled the country by helicopter, a source close to the ousted leader told AFP.

Media in neighbouring India reported Hasina had landed at a military airbase near New Delhi, but a top-level source said she was only "transiting the country" and was heading to London. Citing sources Indian broadcaster Times Now said that she was to leave for London at 1am local time.

India's ANI news agency said Hasina landed at a military airfield near Delhi. Citing sources, ANI also re-ported that India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior military officers met her at the air-field and she was being moved to a safe location.

Bangladesh's military said they had shut Dhaka's international airport, without giving a reason. The air-port closure forced multiple international airlines to suspend flights to Dhaka. There were widespread calls by protesters to ensure Hasina's close allies remained in the country.

The authorities also announced that the nationwide curfew would end at dawn Tuesday (today) while all the schools and businesses would reopen. President Shahabuddin ordered the release of jailed former prime minister Khaleda Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson.

Both Hasina and Zia inherited political movements from slain rulers – Hasina's father Mujib, who was assassinated with most of his family in a 1975 coup; and Zia's husband Ziaur Rahman, who took power after Mujib's death and was himself assassinated in 1981.

Hasina had ruled since winning a decades-long power struggle with Zia in 2009, and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition. Her government was accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent.

Hasina had left the country for her own safety at the insistence of her family, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told the BBC World Service. Hasina was "so disappointed that after all her hard work, for a minority to rise up against her", Joy said. She would not attempt to mount a political comeback, he said.

"Hasina's resignation proves the power of the people," said Tarique Rahman, the exiled eldest son of the Zias, who serves as acting chairman of the opposition BNP. "Together, let's rebuild Bangladesh into a democratic and developed nation, where the rights and freedoms of all people are protected."

On Sunday, student activists had called for a march to the capital Dhaka on Monday in defiance of a nationwide curfew to press Hasina to resign. Millions took to the streets across the country, many peacefully. Yet at least 56 people were killed, mainly in Dhaka but also in other cities, police said.

Police said that gangs had launched revenge attacks on Hasina's allies. At least six people were killed in clashes between police and protesters in the Jatrabari and Dhaka Medical College areas, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

In the corridors of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, an AFP reporter saw bodies lying in pools of blood. Among the 44 bodies in the hospital, many of them young men, almost all had bullet wounds. Police said some of their officers were also killed.

 

Appeal for calm

 

Several world leaders appealed for calm in the South Asian country after months of unrest. Indian au-thorities, meanwhile, said that they had imposed curfew along its international border along the state of Meghalaya.

"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," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Miller said that the United States had seen reports that the army refused pressure to crack down fur-ther on student-led demonstrations. "If it is true in fact that the army resisted calls to crack down on lawful protesters, that would be a positive development," he said.

"We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh's laws," he said. Asked if the military should choose the next leadership, Miller said, "We want to see the Bangladeshi people decide the future Bangladeshi government."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged calm as he highlighted the need for a "peaceful, orderly and democratic transition," his spokesman said. "He continues to underscore the need for a full, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into all acts of violence."

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an "orderly and peaceful" transition towards an elected government.