Tens of thousands of jubilant and outraged protesters flooded the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, on Monday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned, ending her 15-year hold on power and fleeing the country. What began as peaceful demonstrations led by frustrated students calling for the dismantling of a quota system for government employment spiraled into a profound uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. Lingering resentment from January’s contentious election, which saw thousands of opposition members jailed, fueled the unrest.
The government’s response to the protests was brutal. Security forces intervened with lethal force, resulting in nearly 300 deaths, which only intensified the public’s fury. Prime Minister Hasina labeled the protesters as criminals and called for a stringent crackdown.
Over the weekend, the protestors launched a “non-cooperation” movement, advising the populace to withhold taxes, avoid paying utility bills, and abstain from work. The wave of clashes that ensued left dozens dead in the predominantly Muslim nation of over 160 million people. By Monday, defying a military-imposed curfew, protestors converged on the capital’s center. For the first time, troops retreated, and with the restoration of internet services, celebrations erupted in the streets. Thousands of demonstrators surged into the prime minister’s official residence, forcing Hasina to flee.
Amidst the chaos, scenes of triumph and sorrow played out. Protesters ascended public monuments, brandishing a sari taken from Hasina’s house as a trophy. Law enforcement aimed weapons at demonstrators, and desperate skirmishes flared up across Dhaka. Injuries were rampant, with severely wounded individuals being rushed to hospitals for urgent care. Burnt shops and vandalized properties testified to the ferocity of the clashes.
Arsonists targeted symbols of state authority, including setting fire to state-owned Bangladesh Television studios and a nearly-completed sculpture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the nation’s founding father. Security personnel maintained a conspicuous presence on precarious streets, vigilant yet overwhelmed.
Across the city, university students rallied, demanding justice for the victims of the violent upheaval and insisting on the reopening of campuses. Prisoners, once silenced, raised handcuffed fists aloft in defiance as they were led to court hearings.
With Hasina’s resignation, protesters outside parliament erupted into chants of victory, some bearing injured compatriots on cycle rickshaws, and others carrying soldiers on their shoulders in euphoric consensus. As the embers of rebellion still glowed, the defaced and damaged reminders of the past regime – scorched portraits, charred public properties – narrated the tale of a populace that had risen, suffered, and now celebrated in the face of change.
