There has been a coup amid violence in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned from the post. After resignation, Sheikh Hasina has also left Bangladesh. It is being told that Sheikh Hasina may come to Delhi. His sister Sheikh Rehana is also with him.
Bangladesh Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman has announced the formation of an interim government. He has also appealed to the crowd for peace.
After Sheikh Hasina left the country, protesters also set fire to her office. Workers of his party Awami League are being hunted down and killed. Protestors have also captured the Prime Minister’s residence.
Earlier on Sunday, there were violent demonstrations in Bangladesh. The protesters were adamant on demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. More than 100 people are reported to have died in these demonstrations. In view of the violence, the government had declared a holiday. Internet was also shut down. At the same time, the army was deployed throughout the country.
However, the script of this ‘coup’ of Sheikh Hasina was written a few months ago. When Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister for the fifth time in January, opposition to her had already started. After this the students demonstrated regarding reservation. This protest forced Sheikh Hasina, who was in power for 15 years, to step down.
victory in disputed elections
Parliamentary elections were held in Bangladesh in January this year. The opposition had alleged massive rigging in these elections. Bangladesh’s opposition parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami had also boycotted these elections. Along with these two parties, 15 political parties also boycotted it.
Only 40 percent voting took place in this election. Whereas, more than 80 percent votes were cast in the 2018 elections.
Due to the opposition’s boycott, Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League had won more than two-thirds of the seats. Awami League had won 224 out of 300 seats in Parliament.
Again the uproar regarding reservation
Bangladesh has a long history of violence and demonstrations. There have been protests against Hasina government many times. Recently an uproar had started in Bangladesh regarding reservation.
Actually, there was tremendous reservation in government jobs in Bangladesh. There was 30% reservation in government jobs for freedom fighters and their children, 10% for women affected by the war, and 40% for different districts. The remaining 20% was for those with merit.
However, this quota system kept changing from time to time. But the reservation given to freedom fighters and their children remained the same. In 2018, Hasina government abolished this entire quota system. In June this year, the High Court found the decision of Hasina government wrong and ordered to re-implement reservation. The government challenged this in the Supreme Court.
After this the students came out on the streets. He demanded the government to reform the quota system. The students claimed that the leaders of Hasina’s party Awami League are getting the benefit of the quota system. Students also accused Sheikh Hasina of favouritism. When the police tried to suppress these demonstrations, the students became furious and violence broke out.
Violence erupted due to death of six people
Violence erupted amid ongoing protests in Bangladesh on July 16, when six people died in clashes between protesters and government supporters in the capital Dhaka. After this, Hasina government closed all the schools and colleges.
The protesters intensified their demand for Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Meanwhile, the protesters set fire to several government buildings as well as the headquarters of Bangladesh TV. The government banned the internet to stop the protests.
Meanwhile, on July 21, the Supreme Court’s decision on the quota system came. The Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s decision. The Supreme Court decided to fix the quota for freedom fighters and their children in government jobs at 5%. After this the anger of the students calmed down a bit.
…and then demands for apology and resignation
Last week the students started protesting once again. The protesting students held Sheikh Hasina responsible for increasing the violence and demanded a public apology from her. Along with this, they also demanded restoration of internet, reopening of schools and colleges and release of arrested students.
The protest that started demanding Sheikh Hasina’s apology turned into a demand for her resignation. On August 4, students started a non-cooperation movement demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. During this period, violence took place at many places. More than 100 people were killed in this violence.
To stop the demonstration, the government removed the police and deployed the army. Meanwhile, the army also supported the protesters. Former army chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan asked the government to withdraw the army. At the same time, current Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman said that the army always stands with the people.
Sheikh Hasina finally resigns
On August 6, students had called for a ‘long march’ to Dhaka to remove Sheikh Hasina.
The protesters had asked as many people as possible to participate in this long march. It is being told that a large number of women also took part in this march. Even the army did not stop it.
Even before a large number of protesters could march to Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post and left the country. The protesters also entered the Prime Minister’s residence. They also set fire to the office of Sheikh Hasina’s party.
At present, Sheikh Hasina has left the country. It is being told that she is coming to Delhi and can go to London from here. At the same time, now only the interim government will run in Bangladesh for a few days.