NEW DELHI, August 5. /TASS/. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned, Reuters quoted the republic’s embassy in New Delhi as saying.
Earlier, Prothom Alo Daily reported that the Bangladesh premier had left the country on board a military helicopter for India, while News18 said she had fled to Finland.
Bangladesh Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan confirmed that Hasina had stepped down on Monday in an interview with CNN-News 18. "Sheikh Hasina has resigned. I have received the information that she has resigned," he told the TV channel.
Anti-government protests demanding Hasina’s resignation erupted anew in the capital city of Dhaka and other cities on August 4. The authorities enforced a curfew and declared three days of public holiday from Monday. The military is controlling city streets. Internet and social network disruptions are being reported widely. Rail service across Bangladesh has been suspended indefinitely. Protest organizers have called for a march to Dhaka.
Protesters first took to the streets in various cities of the South Asian republic in early July, demanding the abolition of job quotas for the relatives of participants in the 1971 war of independence. The situation in the republic gradually escalated, with protests turning into violence. At least 10,000 people have been arrested since riots erupted, The Daily Star reported. AP said earlier, citing data from police and health officials, that as many as 300 people have been killed in protests. Meanwhile, India Today television said, citing unofficial sources, that between 1,000 and 1,400 people may have been killed.