Bangladesh Protests Highlights: President says interim govt to be formed after dissolving parliament, orders release of Khaleda Zia

PM Sheikh Hasina resigns and leaves Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country, amid massive protests against her government that has killed more than 106 people since Sunday.

Cheering protesters stormed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's palace on Monday after she fled, the culmination of more than a month of deadly anti-government protests, reports AFP.

"Hasina and her sister have left Ganabhaban (the premier's official residence) for a safer place," a source told AFP. "She wanted to record a speech. But she could not get an opportunity to do that."

Representatives of main political parties were present in discussion with the Army, said Bangladesh Army chief.

Bangladesh's army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said Monday he will form an interim government after the prime minister resigned and fled the capital in the face of overwhelming protests.

Give us some time, we will find a solution, says Army chief to protesters, urging protesters to end violence

Dhaka: Protesters attend the first day of the non-cooperation movement in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 04 August 2024.

Sheikh Hasina has landed in India, CNN News18 said citing sources. It further said that the Indian govt has agreed to offer safe passage to Hasina.

Public sector LIC on Monday said its office in Bangladesh will remain closed till August 7.

BSF orders 'high alert' along Bangladesh border

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday issued a "high alert" across all its formations along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in the wake of the developments in the neighbouring country, officials told PTI.

India has suspended all train services with Bangladesh, Reuters reported quoting Indian Railways Spokesperson.

People celebrate the resignation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina in Dhaka

Sheikh Hasina reportedly leaving for London

Sheikh Hasina is known to be on her way to London, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. She is leaving for London, the people cited above said. (PTI)

Urge all to maintain peace in West Bengal, avoid provocation: CM Mamata in the wake of developments in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Security beefed up at Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi

The Delhi Police has beefed up security at the Bangladesh High Commission in Chanakyapuri.

Protesters vandalise statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Protesters storm Hasina's official residence after her departure as PM

Mobile internet has been restored in Bangladesh, Reuters said.

A mural of Sheikh Hasina is seen vandalised by protesters in Dhaka.

Air India cancels flights to and from Dhaka

Bangladesh army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Monday he was "taking full responsibility" after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled. (AFP)

Indo-Bangla trade 'halted' amid crisis

 Indo-Bangladesh trade has 'halted' this afternoon amid unrest in the neighbouring country due to large-scale protests that resulted in President Sheikh Hasina resigning on Monday, according to traders. (PTI)

Multiple diplomatic sources confirm Bangladesh PM Hasina's military plane has landed in Hindon near New Delhi. (PTI)

At least 56 killed in Monday's unrest in Bangladesh, Police told AFP.

Dhaka : Bangladeshi Army soldiers patrol on the street after the government imposed a new curfew, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 05 August 2024.

Indian politicians react to Bangladesh crisis

Several parliamentarians across different parties here expressed concern over the evolving situation in Bangladesh. Congress MP Manish Tewari said the situation in the neighbouring country is sensitive and evolving and hoped the government will make a statement on it in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Sasmit Patra said his party will support the Government of India's stand on the issue.

CPI leader P Sandosh Kumar termed Hasina an "autocrat" and said that her resignation was "welcome". It shows people will not accept autocrats, he said. (PTI)

T20 Women's World Cup in Bangladesh: ICC says monitoring situation amid political unrest

"The ICC has an independent security monitoring system across all its member nations. The situation is being monitored closely but with seven weeks left for the tournament to begin, it will be too early to comment whether the tournament will be shifted from Bangladesh," an ICC board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Indian cultural centre vandalised, 4 Hindu temples suffer damages in Bangladesh

An Indian cultural centre was vandalised by an unruly mob in Bangladesh's capital and four Hindu temples suffered damages across the country on Monday, eyewitnesses and a community leader said. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area was damaged by the unruly mob, according to eyewitnesses. (PTI)

Protesters take over Parliament

 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on her way to London amid turmoil in her country.

Jaishankar is believed to have briefed Modi about the evolving situation in the neighbouring country but there was no official word on the meeting. (PTI)

Meghalaya imposes night curfew along its border with Bangladesh amid turmoil in neighbouring country: Deputy CM.

Hasina will not make a political comeback, says son Joy

Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina will not make a political comeback, her son and former official adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Monday, asserting that she left the country for her own safety on her family's insistence. In an interview to Newshour on the BBC World Service, Joy said there would be no political comeback for his mother. Joy said that his mother, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, was "so disappointed that after all her hard work, for a minority to rise up against her", according to the report.

Amid turmoil in Bangladesh, PM Modi chairs meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security.

The European Union on Monday called for an "orderly and peaceful" transition to democratic rule in Bangladesh, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled protests and the military took over. (AFP)

The Indo-Bangladesh border region in West Bengal has been put on high alert on Monday following the ongoing unrest in the neighbouring country, officials said. The Assam government too on Monday issued "high alert" to all its districts sharing border with the neighbouring country, a senior official said. Assam's Karimganj, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar districts share 267.5 km of international border with Bangladesh. (PTI)

People throw wooden furniture into the fire that was set on a vehicle inside the Ganabhaban, the Prime Minister's residence, after the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2024.

Bangladesh President orders release of jailed ex-PM and opposition chief Khaleda Zia. (AFP)

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday claimed that amid the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, Hindus are being slaughtered in various parts of the neighbouring country and more than one crore refugees are likely to enter West Bengal soon. (PTI)

Bangladesh's military said it would lift a curfew imposed to quash protests at dawn Tuesday, hours after it seized power following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "Offices, factories, schools, colleges... will be open" from 6:00 am Tuesday (0000 GMT), the military said in a statement. (AFP)

People loot a monitor, a computer and a duck from the Ganabhaban, the prime minister's residence, after the resignation of PM Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2024.

People loot a big metal box and other items from the Ganabhaban, the prime minister's residence, after the resignation of PM Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2024.

The United States is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh, where the prime minister has fled the country after a crackdown on demonstrations, and urges the interim government formation process to be democratic and inclusive, the White House said on Monday.

India will have to be very vigilant on border: Former envoy on Bangladesh crisis

Amid a political turmoil and unrest in Bangladesh, a former Indian high commissioner to Dhaka has cautioned that India will have to be "very vigilant" on the border in the wake of the crisis even as he asserted that New Delhi will be "prepared for all eventualities".

Pankaj Saran, a veteran diplomat and former envoy of India to Bangladesh during whose tenure the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) was ratified by the Indian parliament in 2015, said one cannot say when would things settle down in the neighbouring country.

"We will just have to wait for different political forces to kind of find some equilibrium inside Bangladesh," he said.

Sheikh Hasina, 76, resigned as prime minister of Bangladesh and left the country on Monday amid mass protests against her government. Thousands of protesters looted and vandalised her official residence in Dhaka.

Saran, who served as India's high commissioner in Dhaka from 2012 to 2015, said that "trouble has been brewing" for the last few weeks and the government was "not able to bring it under control".

"The last two days saw an escalation in the level of protests. Therefore, some decisions had to be taken about how to go forward in controlling the protests. (PTI)

India's border with Bangladesh secure: Bengal Governor

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday asserted that India's border with Bangladesh was secure amid the turmoil in the neighbouring country, and urged people to not pay attention to any rumours.

Bose also constituted a “watchdog panel” that could be contacted round the clock to clarify any disinformation, he said.

"The governor assured that our borders (with Bangladesh) are secure. There is no need for panic. Beware of rumour mongers. Bengal is behind the Government of India, which is taking strong and effective steps to protect the borders," a Raj Bhavan official said.

"The Raj Bhavan has put in place a high-power watchdog committee which can be contacted for any clarification against disinformation. Strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours and misleading information," he said. (PTI)

UN following situation in Bangladesh 'very closely'; calls for calm and restraint

The United Nations is following the situation in Bangladesh "very closely" and calls for calm and restraint in the wake of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and escape from the country, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

"The Secretary-General deplores the further loss of life during protests in Bangladesh over the weekend. He continues to closely follow developments in the country, including the Chief of Army Staff’s announcement regarding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and plans for the formation of an interim government," Farhan Haq, the UN Deputy Spokesperson, told the daily briefing.

"We continue to call for calm and restraint and to urge all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and expression," Haq said, adding that the UN urges security forces to protect those out on the streets of Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh.

In response to a question from the Press Trust of India on the situation, Haq said: "For us, the important things are for the parties to remain calm, and we want to emphasise the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition.

"We stand in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh at this time and we call for full respect for their democratic and human rights. And ultimately, regarding what's happened so far, there's a need for a full, independent and impartial investigation into all acts of violence." (PTI)