Deposing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Weeks of anti-government rallies have ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and an interim administration is set to be formed.

After Ms Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday, large crowds thronged her official residence in Dhaka amid allegations of looting and chaos in the capital. At least 20 people were killed in the violence, adding to more than 90 deaths on Sunday, which was already the highest single-day casualty record in Bangladesh’s recent history.

 

Ms Hasina, a former pro-democracy icon who opponents claim has become increasingly autocratic during her 15-year rule, is currently in India. It is unclear whether he will stay or leave.

How did this terrible protest begin?

Protests erupted in early July over university students’ nonviolent demands for the scrapping of public service quotas, one-third of which were allocated to relatives of veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence from Pakistan.

Advocates claimed the system was discriminatory and needed to be reformed. Although their wishes were mostly granted.

The protest quickly turned into a larger anti-government movement.

Dr Samina Lutfa, assistant professor of sociology at Dhaka University, told the BBC last month, “It’s not [just] students anymore, it seems people from all walks of life have joined the protest movement.”

 

Clashes erupted as the movement spread, killing more than 300 people.

Bangladeshi media and protesters blamed the police for the rising death toll. The government, however, claimed that the officers fired only in self-defense or to protect state property.

Ms Hasina has routinely cut off internet connections in parts of the country, imposed statewide curfews and branded people protesting against her as “terrorists” who are trying to “destabilize the nation”.

Why are students angry?

Bangladesh has long been plagued by discontent and the protests were not spontaneous.

Although the South Asian nation of 170 million people has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, analysts note that progress has not translated into job opportunities for university graduates.

According to estimates, more than 18 million young Bangladeshis were looking for work, and university graduates were more likely to be unemployed than their less educated peers.

Bangladesh has become the world leader in exports of ready-made garments. The country has sold nearly $40 billion worth of clothing in the global market. More than four million people work in this field, most of them women. However, factory jobs were insufficient for the aspiring younger generation.

And that’s why they wanted to abolish quotas in government jobs – because it would mean more jobs for them.

Why did the protest increase?

Even when the high court overturned the quota, protests continued, spreading beyond students, as the brutal crackdown fueled discontent against Ms. Hasina’s government.

His administration has revolutionized Bangladesh with new roads, bridges, factories, and even a metro rail system, but there are also claims of widespread corruption.

According to the World Bank, per capita income has tripled over the past decade, lifting more than 25 million people out of poverty in the span of two decades. However, many people think that this growth has benefited those associated with the Prime Minister’s Awami League.

“We are witnessing so much corruption,” said Dr Lutfa. “Especially among those associated with the ruling party. Corruption has gone on with impunity for too long.

In recent months, debates on social media in Bangladesh have focused on allegations of corruption against several of Ms Hasina’s former top officials, including a former army chief, a former police chief, senior tax authorities and state recruitment officials.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has launched an investigation against former police chief Benazir Ahmed, who was earlier considered a close supporter of Miss Hasina, for depositing millions of rupees. But he denied the allegations.

Even as she vowed to fight corruption, Ms Hasina revealed she had fired a home helper accused of embezzling $34 million in state funds.

Such disturbing facts did not escape ordinary Bangladeshis, who were already struggling with the rising cost of living.

Rights campaigners noted that Ms. Hasina’s government was accused of stifling dissent, censoring the media and critics of the government, and imprisoning or disappearing its most vocal critics. However, the ministers denied the claim.

“Anger against the government and the ruling party has been building up for a long time,” Dr Lutfa said. “People are angry now. When they can’t find any other way, they protest.”

What happens next?

It is too early to predict the immediate future of Bangladesh.

Miss Hasina‘s extended tenure, though controversial, has provided some stability and economic growth. Amid hopes, there are fears of a political vacuum in his sudden retirement.

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and other student activists have been ordered to be released from prison.

The main opposition party, Ms Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted the 2014 and 2024 elections, claiming free and fair elections were impossible under Ms Hasina.

They wanted elections to be held under a neutral caretaker administration. Miss Hasina had earlier rejected the claim, but now it is a possibility.

Political parties and protest leaders resumed talks on Monday, as world nations called for a peaceful and democratic transfer of power.

Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waqer-uz-Zaman, who announced the decision to form an interim government, is not yet fully informed about what it will look like or who will lead it.

 

Also Read : Biden demands term limits and ethical guidelines for the Supreme Court.

Biden demands term limits and ethical guidelines for the Supreme Court.

Link :  Biden demands term limits and ethical guidelines for the Supreme Court.

Additionally, Mr. Biden has urged Congress to enact a constitutional amendment restricting presidential immunity, which would overturn a recent ruling by the Supreme Court. (Biden Demands)

The president added, “Every other federal judge is bound by an enforceable code of conduct.” “There is no reason for the Supreme Court to be exempt.”
Last but not least, Mr. Biden wants to modify the US Constitution to overturn a July 1 Supreme Court decision that ex-presidents like Donald Trump are not subject to criminal prosecution.