Bangladesh’s prime minister resigns and flees to India.

Reports claim that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has resigned and left the country on Monday. 

This comes after some of the worst violence in the country in over five decades. 

Close to 100 people were killed on Sunday as protesters calling for PM Hasina’s resignation clashed with security forces and supporters of the ruling party. 

Last month, at least 150 people were killed and thousands injured in violence sparked by student groups protesting against reserved quotas in government jobs.

The ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group, which led last month’s job quota protests, is at the forefront of the latest demonstrations. 

The protests, which initially aimed to reform the quota system, restarted after the Supreme Court scrapped most quotas on July 21. 

The protesters demanded a public apology from Hasina for the violence, restoration of internet connections, reopening of college and university campuses, and release of those arrested. 

The demonstrations escalated into a campaign seeking Hasina’s ouster, with the students’ group calling for a nationwide non-cooperation movement starting Sunday, with a single-point agenda – Hasina must resign.

The protests were triggered after the High Court reinstated a quota system for government jobs in June, overturning a 2018 decision by Hasina’s government to scrap it. 

The Supreme Court suspended the high court order after the government’s appeal and then dismissed the lower court order last month, directing that 93% of jobs should be open to candidates on merit.

Experts attribute the current unrest in Bangladesh to stagnant job growth in the private sector, high youth unemployment, and a flagging economy. 

The quotas sparked anger among students grappling with high youth unemployment, as nearly 32 million young people are out of work or education in a population of 170 million.

In a January general election that was boycotted by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Sheikh Hasina won a fourth straight term. 

The election was criticized by the BNP, which accused her Awami League of trying to legitimize the election. 

The run-up to the election was marred by deadly anti-government protests and accusations from both sides regarding instigating violence.

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