How Bangladesh’s ‘Gen Z’ protests brought down PM Sheikh Hasina

Here's what happened

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate after getting the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh
People shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in Dhaka on August 5, 2024 [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]
People shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Prime Minister Hasina and her government, demanding justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes in Dhaka on August 5, 2024 [Rajib Dhar/AP Photo]

Protests began in Bangladesh last month over a controversial government job-quota system and transformed into nationwide unrest following a harsh crackdown by authorities. Nearly 300 people were killed within weeks in one of the most violent phases of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule.

On July 21, the Supreme Court scaled back the quota, which reserved one-third of government jobs for descendants of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War veterans.

But anti-protest rhetoric by Sheikh Hasina aided by police crackdown and attacks on protesters by groups affiliated with the ruling Awami League party galvanised a mass movement against the Hasina government.

On August 4, nearly 100 people were killed in a police crackdown, causing outrage. A day later, Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country, ending her 15-year rule.

The anger was such that even the statues of her father, the freedom icon Sheikh Mujeebur Rahman, were toppled and defaced.

Al Jazeera examines the events and the unfolding of Bangladesh's month-long protest.

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Students and job aspirants gather to protest in Dhaka on July 3, 2024, demanding the reinstatement of the Bangladesh government circular published in 2018 that abolished the quota system in government services. (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)
Students and job aspirants gather to protest in Dhaka on July 3, 2024, demanding the reinstatement of the Bangladesh government circular published in 2018 that abolished the quota system in government services. (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)

June 5

The High Court reinstated the quota system, overturning a 2018 decision by Prime Minister Hasina's government to scrap it.

The court’s verdict triggered the initial protests led by university students.

The students stepped up their protests when Hasina refused to meet their demands, citing the court proceedings. She called the protesters "Razakar", a deeply offensive term for those accused of collaborating with Pakistan's army during the 1971 liberation war.

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(Al Jazeera)

Violent clashes leave scores injured in Bangladesh
Students scuffle with police during a protest to demand merit-based system for civil service jobs in Dhaka on July 11, 2024. Bangladesh police on July 11 fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse university student protesters demanding the scrapping of quotas they say are rigged to support pro-government job candidates. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP)
Students scuffle with police during a protest to demand merit-based system for civil service jobs in Dhaka on July 11, 2024. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP)
Students scuffle with police during a protest to demand merit-based system for civil service jobs in Dhaka on July 11, 2024. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP)

July 1

Students start protests demanding an end to job quotas

July 15-20

By mid-July, the protests turned violent after Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party, along with the police attacked student protesters in the capital Dhaka.

The government soon shut down universities and cut off the internet. At least 187 people were killed and 1,000 arrested in the violence and the government crackdown between July 10 and 20.

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July 17

This video from July 17, verified by Sanad News Agency, shows protesters being ambushed by gunfire at Dhaka University.

July 18

According to NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, the internet in Bangladesh was cut off by the authorities in an attempt to quash the nationwide protests.

This video from July 18, verified by Sanad News Agency, shows the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) rescuing stranded policemen from the Canadian University of Bangladesh in Dhaka after campus protests turned violent. The policemen were stuck there for three hours after student protesters blocked the entrance following clashes.

July 19 - Nationwide curfew imposed

Armed forces were recorded firing at large crowds of protesters, who refused to back down. They are seen hitting the car with stones as it backs up.

X user Zulkarnain Saer, a Bangladeshi researcher, posted a video of the Bangladesh police dumping an injured student on the streets from an armoured personnel carrier onto the road. The student is identified as Shykh Yamin, a student of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). Yamin was left to die on the streets.

July 21

The Supreme Court scrapped most of the quotas. The 30 percent quota was reduced to 5 percent, and 2 percent was reserved for ethnic minorities, leaving the remaining 93 percent jobs for all other Bangladeshis to be decided on merit.

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(Al Jazeera)

A countrywide curfew remained in place, with the military manning the streets.

July 22

July 23

Partial internet connectivity was restored.

A video was posted on X of two policemen shooting at an injured protester being dragged by another unarmed man in south Dhaka. The police, one of them in civilian clothes, is seen shooting at them at point-blank range.

The student leaders announced that they would be suspending the protest until July 24, a deadline which was later extended.

July 25

The protesters renewed their demands, which included the release of protest leaders, the lifting of the curfew, and the reopening of the universities.

While they agreed that the Supreme Court order and the government’s subsequent acceptance fulfilled their early demands for reforming the quota system, the killing of more than 150 student protesters and nearly 2,700 arrests, as per Associated Press’s tally, was not acceptable.

July 29

Protests resumed, and the call for Sheikh Hasina to step down as prime minister was made.

In this video verified by Sanad News Agency, heavily armed forces can be seen taking positions around different parts of the city.

A large crowd of peaceful protesters in Chattogram city is disrupted by an explosion that sent people fleeing for cover, verified by Sanad News Agency.

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The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum is set on fire by anti-government protestors in Dhaka on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Abu SUFIAN JEWEL / AFP)
The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum is set on fire by anti-government protestors in Dhaka on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Abu SUFIAN JEWEL / AFP)

August 2

August 4

Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters crowded into a central Dhaka square for mass protests, demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down.

While the army stepped in to help restore order in the wake of earlier protests, some former military officers joined the student movement.

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Protesters wave national flags as they protest in Dhaka on August 4, 2024 [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]
Nearly 100 people were killed, including 13 police officers, and dozens more injured as police fired tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse protesters.

The deaths were reported by the police and doctors on Sunday in the capital Dhaka and the northern districts of Bogura, Pabna and Rangpur, as well as in Magura in the west, Comilla in the east, and Barisal and Feni in the south.

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Protesters shout slogans during a protest at Dhaka University campus [Monirul Alam/EPA]

 

August 5

Tensions were heightened in the capital as protesters made calls for mass mobilisation.

People shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Protesters continue their demonstration in Dhaka on August 05, 2024 [Najmus Sakib/Anadolu Agency]

In a surprising twist of events, Prime Minister Hasina resigned and fled the country.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party posted a video, verified by Sanad agency, of the prime minister's military helicopter, seen flying from her house to an airbase from where she reportedly left for India.

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An aerial view shows anti-government protestors storming Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's palace in Dhaka on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Parvez AHMAD RONY / AFP) (AFP)
Source: Al Jazeera