Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the capital, Dhaka, amid violent protests demanding her resignation, AFP reported, citing a source close to the embattled leader.
“She and her sister have left Ganabhaban, the Prime Minister’s official residence, for a safer place,” the source said. “She wanted to record a speech but could not get an opportunity to do that,” the source added.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters defied curfew, marching through the streets of Dhaka before storming the Prime Minister’s residence. Videos showed crowds entering the official residence, waving to cameras as they celebrated.
Soldiers and police, equipped with armored vehicles, had barricaded routes to Ms. Hasina’s office with barbed wire, AFP reporters noted, but vast crowds flooded the streets, tearing down the barriers.
Local media estimated as many as 400,000 protesters on the streets, though the figure could not be independently verified.
This development comes as Bangladesh’s army chief, Waker-Uz-Zaman, is set to address the nation following the deaths of 98 people in fierce clashes yesterday, bringing the death toll since protests began last month to over 300.
Hasina’s son urged the country’s security forces to prevent any takeover of her rule, while a senior advisor told AFP that her resignation was a “possibility” when asked whether she would step down.
