Bangladesh's prime minister flees country as protesters storm palace - as nearly 100 killed in deadly clashes
5 August 2024, 11:18 | Updated: 5 August 2024, 11:40
Bangladesh's prime minister has fled the country and resigned in the wake of deadly protests against her government.
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The army and Bangladesh High Commission Officials in Delhi have confirmed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, resignation on Monday.
According to reports in Bangladesh, Hasina and her sister fled to Agartala, India in a military helicopter.
The pair are seeking "safe shelter" as protestors march on her residence in Dhaka, PA reports.
Images shared on Bangladesh television networks show thousands of people flooding into the palace, some could be seen carrying away televisions, chairs and tables.
Shouts of “she has fled the country” could be heard, Reuters reports.
Protesters in Dhaka also climbed atop a statue of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the pm’s father, and began cutting away at its head with an axe.
Deadly clashes between police and students have become commonplace in recent weeks, as protesters call for the end of mandatory quotas in government jobs.
95 people were killed, including at least 14 police officers, in Dhaka on Sunday as violence erupted once again.
Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman is reportedly holding talks with major political parties.
Access to the internet was cut across the country on Sunday, but has since been restored.
July saw at least 150 people killed and thousands injured in protests led by student groups protesting against reserved quotas in government jobs.
Protests paused in late July after many of these quotas were scrapped, but violence erupted again on Sunday as students demanded an apology from Ms Hasina and the reopening of universities across the country.
Calls for the pm to resign quickly spread, leading protesters to march on her palace on Monday.
Speaking on Sunday, she said: "Those who are carrying out violence are not students but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation".
This is a breaking story, more follows...
