DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshis gathered in the capital on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the student-led uprising that ousted long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina was removed from power on Aug. 5, 2024, when demonstrators defied a nationwide curfew and stormed her official residence, forcing her to flee to neighboring India, where she remained in exile.
Her removal came following weeks of protests that began in early July 2024. What started as peaceful demonstrations over a controversial quota system for government jobs developed into a wider anti-government movement that was met with a violent crackdown against protesters by security forces that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly students.
The end of her 15 years in uninterrupted power brought the formation of an interim government led by Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who promised to restore stability and hold new elections after necessary reforms.
“Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again,” Yunus said in a message to the nation on Tuesday, as crowds in the capital, Dhaka, waved flags and used colored smoke to celebrate.
