[19][20][21] On 3 August 2024, coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement announced a one-point demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister and her cabinet and called for "comprehensive non-cooperation".
[24] Widespread celebrations and violence occurred following her removal, while the military and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government led by economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
[25] Meanwhile, Indian media outlets were seen engaging in a widespread disinformation campaign aimed at destabilising Bangladesh, following Hasina's resignation and departure to India.
[30] At around 5:30 p.m., Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators, addressed the assembled crowd at Shaheed Minar and announced that the movement's exclusive demand was the resignation of Hasina and her cabinet.
[15] In Dhaka, unidentified individuals set fire to and damaged various vehicles, including cars, ambulances, motorcycles, and buses, at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University during the protests.
[39] Around 4.30 p.m., eleventh-grade student Golam Nafiz was shot by the police in Dhaka Farmgate area, whose photo of being taken to the hospital on rickshaw went viral on internet, creating high outrage by netizens.
[50] Several former Bangladesh Army officers, including former chief of staff Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, held a press briefing urging soldiers to return to camps and refrain from getting involved in the political crisis or being used against civilians.
In response to calls for a march to Dhaka, DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman warned of zero tolerance, stating that legal action would be taken against curfew violators.
[25] Widespread celebrations and violence occurred following her removal, while the military and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government led by economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
[24] On 5 August 2024, at around 3:00 p.m., Prime Minister Hasina resigned and fled the country on a helicopter with her sister, Sheikh Rehana, to India,[2][24][57][3] arriving in Delhi via Agartala.
Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, later said that his mother had begun considering resignation as early as 3 August but was only convinced to do so by close relatives who had been approached by senior military and police officials, according to media reports.
[59][60] Shortly after Sheikh Hasina's departure, at around 3:00 p.m., protesters breached the gates of the Ganabhaban and entered the Prime Minister's residence looting, vandalizing, and destroying numerous items, including furniture.
[66] Reports indicated that Hasina, along with her sister Sheikh Rehana and senior Awami League official Salman F Rahman, fled Ganabhaban aboard a military helicopter before transferring to a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force.
[71] She is expected to proceed to London for her safe passage[72] and seek political asylum in the United Kingdom, where Rehana's eldest daughter, Labour Party MP Tulip Siddiq is Economic Secretary to the Treasury under the incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while her youngest daughter Azmina Siddiq works for Control Risks as a global risk analysis editor.
[141] On 10 August, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) dismissed the head of its Bauphal upazila branch following complaints about his alleged involvement in the violence and looting.
[158] Similar reports of Islamists perpetrating violence against Ahmadiyyas[159] and vandalising tombs of Sufi saints[160][161][162] emerged in various parts of the country in midst of collapse of law and order.
[167][168][169][170][171] Gobinda Pramanik, Former Secretary General of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, criticized the Indian media, suggesting that they inaccurately portrayed the situation.
[180] Several television news outlets also ran headlines falsely claiming that the violence constituted an "act of genocide" and a "pogrom", while an alleged arson attack on a Hindu temple was later found to have occurred at an adjacent Awami League office.
[26] Analysts Farid Erkizia Bakht and Siddharth Varadarajan suggested that India's intent to destabilize Bangladesh through this disinformation campaign stems from the disappointment of losing a valuable ally like Sheikh Hasina and from apprehensions about the new government in the country harbouring anti-Indian sentiments.
[187] On 5 August, the Chief of Army Staff, Waker-uz-Zaman, convened a meeting with representatives from BNP, Jatiya Party (Ershad), and Jamaat-e-Islami[188] and called for the creation of an interim government within 48 hours, excluding the Awami League.
Other possible names for the head of government included Salahuddin Ahmed, a former governor of Bangladesh Bank, retired General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, and lawyer Sara Hossain.
[191] In addition, Waker-uz-Zaman pledged an investigation by the military into the preceding incidents of violence and issued an order prohibiting security forces from opening fire on crowds.
[114] President Mohammed Shahabuddin issued an order for the release of all students who had been detained during the protests, as well as Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister and chairperson of the BNP.
Although Article 123 of the constitution mandates general elections within 90 days following the dissolution of parliament, no clear guidelines exist for the powers and structure of an interim government.
Following the oath-taking of the interim government, student leader and ICT adviser Nahid Islam announced that a constituent assembly election would be held to draft and adopt a new constitution to resolve the crisis.
[214] On 21 August, journalists Shakil Ahmed and his wife, Farzana Rupa, from the pro-Hasina channel Ekattor TV, were arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while flying to board a flight to Paris.
[197] Tarique Rahman, who is currently serving as the acting chair of the BNP and is based in London, declared that "Hasina's resignation is a testament to the power of the people"[220] and urged for "restraint".
[140] On 7 August, during a rally in Dhaka, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Secretary General of BNP, called for the holding of fair elections within the next three months.
[224] On 10 August, he claimed to Reuters that Hasina is still the Prime Minister as she did not get enough time to formally submit her resignation to the President, due to protesters advancing towards her official residence.
[226] On 11 August, in what is said to be her first statement published by the Indian media after her fleeing to the country, Sheikh Hasina confirmed that she resigned and conceded defeat to avoid further bloodshed.