What began as peaceful student protests in late June 2024 turned into a nationwide outburst of anger in July and immense pressure that forced Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country on 5 August 2024.
At the root of the initially peaceful student protests was a quota system for government jobs that favored the descendants of 1971 Liberation War fighters. The system was seen as outdated and unfair, especially in the face of high youth unemployment. The protests turned violent when the student wing of the ruling Awami League party and the police launched a series of attacks on student demonstrators on 15 July. The confrontation escalated when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called the protesters “razakars”, a derogatory term for those who collaborated with Pakistan against Bangladesh’s independence struggle in 1971. As the unrest and violence spiraled out of control following the continued attacks protesters 18 July, the government forcibly shut down the internet and mobile phone networks for a week and imposed an indefinite curfew across the country.
The Supreme Court ruled back the quota system on 21 July, but it was too late. By then, more than 400 people, including minors, had been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested. The situation was further fueled by widespread dissatisfaction with the government over its inability to deal with a prolonged economic recession, reports of corruption and human rights abuses, and the lack of democratic channels for initiating change. The government’s heavy-handed response and lack of empathy eventually led to a nationwide non-cooperation movement demanding the prime minister’s resignation and the reform of Bangladesh, which was widely supported by people from all walks of life. On 5 August, after nearly 100 deaths in a day of clashes, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled by helicopter just moments before protesters stormed key government buildings, including the prime minister’s office and private residence. At the end of the day, millions of people across the country took to the streets to celebrate the end of the Awami League regime.
