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Battle for the quota system, student protests and the role of the army… Inside story of Sheikh Hasina’s coup

There has been a coup in Bangladesh amid violence. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned from the post. After resigning, Sheikh Hasina has also left Bangladesh. It is being told that Sheikh Hasina may come to Delhi. Her sister Sheikh Rehana is also with her.

Bangladesh Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman has announced the formation of an interim government. He has also appealed to the crowd to maintain peace.

After Sheikh Hasina left the country, the protesters have also set her office on fire. The workers of her party Awami League are being hunted down and killed. The protesters have also occupied the Prime Minister’s residence.

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Earlier on Sunday, there were violent protests in Bangladesh. The protesters were adamant on the demand for the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. More than 100 people are reported to have been killed in these protests. In view of the violence, the government had declared a holiday. The internet was also shut down. At the same time, the army was deployed across the country.

However, the script of this ‘coup’ of Sheikh Hasina was written a few months ago. When Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister for the fifth time in January, the opposition to her had already started. After this, students protested for reservation. This protest forced Sheikh Hasina, who was in power for 15 years, to step down from the post.

victory in disputed elections

Parliamentary elections were held in Bangladesh in January this year. The opposition had alleged massive rigging in these elections. The opposition parties of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami had boycotted these elections. Along with these two parties, 15 political parties had also boycotted the elections.

Only 40 percent voting took place in this election. Whereas, more than 80 percent votes were cast in the 2018 elections.

Due to the boycott of the opposition, Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League won more than two-thirds of the seats. The Awami League won 224 out of 300 seats in Parliament.

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Again uproar over reservation

Bangladesh has a long history of violence and protests. There have been protests against the Hasina government many times. Recently, a riot broke out in Bangladesh over reservation.

Actually, there was a huge reservation in government jobs in Bangladesh. There was 30% reservation for freedom fighters and their children, 10% for women affected by the war, 40% for different districts in government jobs. The remaining 20% ​​was for those with merit.

However, this quota system kept changing from time to time. But the reservation given to freedom fighters and their children remained the same. In 2018, the Hasina government abolished this entire quota system. In June this year, the High Court declared that decision of the Hasina government wrong and ordered to re-implement the reservation. The government challenged it in the Supreme Court.

After this, the students took to the streets. They demanded the government to improve the quota system. The students claimed that the quota system was benefiting Hasina’s party Awami League leaders. The students also accused Sheikh Hasina of favoritism. When the police tried to suppress these protests, the students became furious and violence broke out. Army is deployed in Bangladesh. (Photo-PTI)

Violence erupted due to the death of six people

Violence erupted on July 16 amid the ongoing protests in Bangladesh, when six people died in a clash between protesters and government supporters in the capital Dhaka. After this, the Hasina government closed all schools and colleges.

The protesters intensified their demand for the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. Meanwhile, the protesters set fire to several government buildings as well as the headquarters of Bangladesh TV. The government banned the internet to stop the protests.

Meanwhile, on 21st July, the Supreme Court’s decision came on the quota system. The Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s decision. The Supreme Court decided to fix a quota of 5% for freedom fighters and their children in government jobs. After this, the anger of the students subsided a bit.

… and then from apology to demand for resignation

Last week, students once again started protesting. The protesting students held Sheikh Hasina responsible for increasing the violence and demanded a public apology from her. Along with this, they also demanded restoration of internet, reopening of schools and colleges and release of arrested students.

The protest which started with the demand for an apology from Sheikh Hasina turned into a demand for her resignation. On August 4, the students started a non-cooperation movement demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. During this, violence took place at many places. More than 100 people were killed in this violence.

To stop the protests, the government removed the police and deployed the army. Meanwhile, the army also supported the protesters. Former army chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan asked the government to call back the army. At the same time, the current army chief Waqar-uz-Zaman said that the army always stands with the people. (Photo-PTI)

Finally, Sheikh Hasina resigned.

On August 6, students had talked about taking out a ‘long march’ to Dhaka to remove Sheikh Hasina.

The protesters had asked as many people as possible to join this long march. It is being told that a large number of women also participated in this march. The army also did not stop it.

Before a large number of protesters marched to Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina resigned from her post and left the country. The protesters also entered the Prime Minister’s residence. They also set fire to Sheikh Hasina’s party office.

Currently, Sheikh Hasina has left the country. It is being told that she is coming to Delhi and from here she can go to London. At the same time, only an interim government will run in Bangladesh for a few days.

Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)

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