Bangladesh PM Hasina quits, flees country as protesters storm residence

Army chief says interim government planned and calls for end to deadly unrest

Protesters gather around the prime minister's residence in Bangladesh as demonstrations sweep Dhaka on Aug. 5. © Getty Images

FAISAL MAHMUD, Contributing writer

August 5, 2024 18:16 JST

Updated on August 5, 2024 20:43 JST

DHAKA -- Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned Monday and fled to neighboring India after the country was plunged into its worst political violence in decades.

The 76-year-old Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh's founding father and one of the world's longest-serving female leaders, was flown out of the country after protesters stormed her official residence in the capital Dhaka where mounting protests demanded that she quit.