Interim government to run Bangladesh as PM Hasina resigns: Army Chief

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned, the country's army chief has said, announcing that an interim government will run the affairs of the country.

Chief of Army Staff Waker-Uz-Zaman asked the protesters to go home and let the military restore peace.

'Manage the nation'

Zaman said in a televised address that after discussions with "all political parties", it was decided that an interim government would be formed.

It was not clear if the army would play a role, but Zaman said: "We will now go to the president of the country, where we will discuss about the formation of the interim government, form the interim government, and manage the nation," he said.

End of 15-year rule

The development means the end of 15-year rule of Awami League, the party of the founder of the republic.

Reports say Hasina, 76, fled to neighbouring India's West Bengal state.

Earlier reports had suggested that Hasina, along with her sister, had left the capital Dhaka amid widespread protests.

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

The source adding she left first by motorcade but then was flown out, "She was later evacuated on a helicopter."

Cheering crowds

Jubilant looking crowds had waved flags, some dancing on top of a tank in the streets on Monday morning before hundreds broke through the gates of Hasina's official residence.

Bangladesh's Channel 24 broadcast images of crowds running into the compound, waving to the camera as they celebrated.

Others smashed a statues of Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahma, the country's independence hero.

Son urges security forces to act

Before the protesters had stormed the compound, Hasina's son urged the country's security forces to block any takeover.

"Your duty is to keep our people safe and our country safe and to uphold the constitution," her son, US-based Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said in a post on Facebook.

"It means don't allow any unelected government to come in power for one minute, it is your duty."

Security forces had supported Hasina's government throughout the unrest, which began last month against civil service job quotas then escalated into wider calls for her to stand down.

But the protesters defied curfews and deadly force.

Violent unrest

At least 94 people were killed on Sunday, including 14 police officers, in the deadliest day of the unrest.

Protesters and government supporters countrywide battled each other with sticks and knives, and security forces opened fire.

The day's violence took the total number of people killed since protests began in early July to at least 300, according to an AFP news agency tally based on police, government officials and doctors at hospitals.

Waker told officers on Saturday that the military "always stood by the people", according to an official statement.

The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest and installed a military-backed caretaker government for two years.

'Final protest'

Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.

Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent.

Demonstrations began over the reintroduction of a quota scheme that reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups.

The protests escalated despite the scheme having been scaled back by Bangladesh's top court.

Soldiers and police with armoured vehicles in Dhaka had barricaded routes to Hasina's office with barbed wire on Monday morning, but vast crowds flooded the streets, tearing down barriers.

The Business Standard newspaper estimated as many as 400,000 protesters were on the streets but it was impossible to verify the figure.

"The time has come for the final protest," said Asif Mahmud, one of the key leaders in the nationwide civil disobedience campaign.

In several cases, soldiers and police did not intervene to stem Sunday's protests, unlike during the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns.

The anti-government movement had attracted people from across society in the South Asian nation of about 170 million people, including film stars, musicians and singers.