How protests toppled Bangladesh's government and drove powerful PM into exile
CTV
What began as peaceful protests by students in Bangladesh against a quota system for government jobs eventually turned into an uprising that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country by helicopter.
What began as peaceful protests by students in Bangladesh against a quota system for government jobs eventually turned into an uprising that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country by helicopter.
The end to her 15 years in power came after weeks of violent unrest during which nearly 300 people died, according to local media reports.
The government repeatedly tried to quell demonstrations they blamed on sabotage and opposition parties with bullets, curfews and internet outages, but these heavy-handed moves backfired, fueling outrage and further protests.
On Monday, protesters defied a military curfew to march into the capital's center, following a weekend of violence left dozens of people dead. As troops pulled back and internet access was restored, tens of thousands of people began to celebrate in the streets, and thousands stormed the leader's official residence.
Military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman said the army would seek the president's guidance to form an interim government as he called for calm in a public address Monday afternoon.
Here's what we know:
The protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands, began in July with students demonstrating against a controversial quota system that allocated government jobs.
