New Delhi: Sheikh Hasina, who had led Bangladesh uninterrupted since 2009, resigned Monday and fled the country nearly two months after student protests first broke out over a quota system, evolving into a wider movement against the government. The official residence of the prime minister in Dhaka — Gono Bhaban — was stormed by protesters, reports said, after Hasina left for an air force base.
In an address to the country, Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that an interim government would be formed, without giving further details, and that the political transition process was underway after consultations with the opposition parties — Bangladesh National Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jatiya Party.
The student demonstrations that led to Hasina’s departure, ending her 15-year rule of the country, first began peacefully in June 2024 after the Bangladesh High Court reinstituted the 30 percent quota for the families of veterans from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which had been scrapped by Hasina’s government in 2018 following protests.
The controversial quota was first introduced by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman — the founder and first leader of independent Bangladesh, who was also Hasina’s father — and was over the years expanded to include the grandchildren of the veterans.
Despite steady growth over the years, the country of 170 million people has faced some economic challenges, including youth unemployment and inflation. The level of youth unemployment — 12.27 per cent in 2023, according to Statista — has led to discontent over quotas in important public sector jobs in the country.
Violence broke out after Hasina referred to the protesters as “razakars” — a historically loaded term — which continued for six days till the Supreme Court, in an order, reduced the percentage of the controversial quotas. At least 300 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters till date, according to reports.
While a modicum of normalcy returned to the country after the court ruling, protesters renewed their calls for Hasina to resign over the weekend, finally succeeding Monday, a day after one of the deadliest days of the protests when nearly 100 people were killed.
ThePrint looks back at the timeline of events leading to Hasina’s eventual ouster.
Quotas in Bangladesh
Originally introduced by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in 1972, the quotas in Bangladesh reserved 56 percent of the highly sought-after public jobs for specific groups, while the remaining 44 per cent were awarded on merit.
The reservations were as follows: 30 percent for families of the veterans who fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971; 10 percent for people from backward districts; 10 percent for women; 5 percent for minorities; and 1 percent for persons with disabilities.
Since these jobs are highly valued across Bangladesh, over the years, students have increasingly called on the government to reform the system, especially as the quota for veterans of the Liberation War was gradually extended to their children, and then, their grandchildren.
There were allegations that these reservations unfairly benefited the supporters of the Awami League — Hasina’s party — which played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s freedom struggle. In 2018, Hasina’s government scrapped the quota system after demonstrations broke out against it. However, the Bangladesh High Court in June 2024 restored the system.
A summer of discontent
Soon after the high court order, demonstrations broke out across the country. The Bangladesh government appealed against the order and, at the time, the Supreme Court set 7 August as the date for the hearing. However, this did not stop the protests from growing through the month.
According to reports, on 14 July, Hasina’s comment referring to “Razakars” inflamed tensions across the demonstrations and eventually led to the outbreak of violence the very next day.
The term comes from the Razakar Bahini, a paramilitary force of volunteers set up by Pakistan in 1971 in East Pakistan — modern-day Bangladesh. The volunteer force was accused of out war crimes, especially against the Hindu population, in the months before the Liberation War broke out in December 1971.
“If the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not receive benefits, who would get it? The grandchildren of Razakars?” Hasina was reported to have said at a press conference.
Protesters began to derisively refer to themselves as Razakars after this comment as they continued their demonstrations against the quota system. Eventually, violence broke out, mainly between the anti-quota student demonstrators and the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) — the student wing of the Awami League.
The government shut down universities and educational institutions in the country, restricted social media access, and clamped down on the Internet to control the situation. The army was called in to restore order in the larger cities, while the police forces were given shoot-on-sight orders. At least 200 protesters were killed in the ensuing violence, while the Bangladeshi authorities detained at least 10,000 people.
Eventually, on 21 July, the Supreme Court ordered that 93 percent of all government jobs be filled based on merit, while the remaining 7 percent be reserved for specific groups. Of the 7 per cent reserved jobs, 5 percent would be reserved for families of the veterans of the Liberation War and 2 per cent for ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities.
Crackdown ensues, followed by renewed protests
Though the Supreme Court order reduced tensions for a while, Hasina’s government continued cracking down on those who had participated in the demonstrations. The Bangladeshi government banned the Jamaat-e-Islami, its student wing and other associated parties as “militant and terrorist” outfits, and the students detained by the authorities during the protests were not released.
Protesters returned to the streets starting Friday, calling for the release of the detained students and Hasina’s resignation. Clashes broke out Saturday in Gazipur, Sylhet, Chattogram, Bogura, Jamalpur and Faridpur, reports said. At least two people were killed and 55 injured between Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, the student organisations declared a 15-point non-cooperation movement from Sunday. Nearly 100 people were killed as the government cracked down on protesters Sunday and imposed a curfew across the country. In a bid to stop the protests, Hasina also announced a three-day general government holiday from Monday to Wednesday. But defiant demonstrators called for a “Long March to Dhaka” Monday to pressure Hasina to resign.
As thousands poured into the streets, making their way to the capital city, Internet services were shut down once again and at least six protesters were killed, according to reports. But as protesters marched on, undeterred, by around 3pm, reports said Hasina had resigned and fled the country.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also read: Interim govt to run Bangladesh, says army chief after PM Hasina resigns, flees country