Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina steps down amid unrest, flees to India: Report

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday stepped down from her position amid unrest in the country, as per Bangladesh's High Commission officials in New Delhi. The Prime Minister, along with her younger sister, is allegedly travelling to India for a safe shelter, as per Bangladesh Daily Prothom Alo.

However, there was no official confirmation about her quitting and leaving Dhaka.

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"Today around 2:30 pm the PM left Ganabhaban (PM's official residence) in an army helicopter. Her younger sister Sheikh Rehana is with her. She is headed towards West Bengal," reported Prothom Alo, citing sources.

"She wanted to record an address to the nation but couldn't," it said.

Anti-Government Movement against Sheikh Hasina

The anti-government movement in Bangladesh, a nation of about 170 million people, , including film stars, musicians, and singers. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled since 2009, secured her fourth consecutive term in January through an election devoid of genuine opposition. Her administration faces accusations from rights groups of misusing state institutions to consolidate power and suppress dissent, including through extrajudicial killings of opposition activists.

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The protests, initially sparked by the reintroduction of a quota scheme reserving over half of government jobs for certain groups, have continued despite the scheme being scaled back by the top court.

PM Hasina, 76, initially claimed that students were not involved in the violence during the quota protests, attributing the clashes and arson to the Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

However, after renewed violence on Sunday, Hasina stated that "those who are carrying out violence are not students but terrorists who are out to destabilize the nation." The student group has rejected Hasina's offer for talks to resolve the crisis.