On August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled to India, ending nearly 16 years of autocratic rule and liberating Bangladesh from tyranny. This came after immense public resistance and the ultimate sacrifice of students and ordinary citizens.
During the July mass uprising, hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured in attacks by Sheikh Hasina's loyal law enforcement, as well as armed cadres from the Awami League and its affiliate organizations, the Jubo League and Chhatra League.
August 5 is considered a day of victory and sorrow for the people of Bangladesh. Even after the fall of the Awami League government, many people lost their lives in brutal police attacks.
Faced with a nationwide movement, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Throughout her long tenure, she had famously boasted, "Sheikh Hasina does not run away." She had repeated this claim as recently as July 22, 2024, during a meeting with business leaders.
Yet, less than two weeks later, she was forced to resign and flee in the face of intense public hatred and pressure.
On August 5, thousands of people marched toward Dhaka to make the "March to Dhaka" program a success, defying a strict curfew. Across the country, millions of people from all walks of life took to the streets.
Joyful celebrations erupted after Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman confirmed Sheikh Hasina's resignation. In that moment, Sheikh Hasina's dominance and the Awami League's so-called political stronghold collapsed.
Millions of people took over the streets of the capital. Thousands of jubilant citizens entered Sheikh Hasina's official residence, Gonobhaban, to celebrate their victory.
After Sheikh Hasina fled the country, countless people also entered the Prime Minister's Office and the National Parliament. From noon until evening, children, the elderly, workers, and students all took to the streets to celebrate the downfall of a long-standing autocratic regime.
Sheikh Hasina tried to hold onto power until the very last moment. On August 5, clashes broke out between law enforcement and protesters at entry points to the capital. By the afternoon, thousands had gathered in Shahbagh.
Even after Hasina's sudden departure, law enforcement continued to shoot at students and protesters across the country, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
Since coming to power in 2009, Sheikh Hasina had sought to maintain "absolute power." To this end, she completely ignored domestic and international criticism regarding human rights violations, suppression of freedom of expression, and various irregularities and oppression within the government.
Her indifference and oppressive response to a peaceful student movement demanding a rational reform of the government's quota system eventually turned that movement into a mass uprising.
The people of Bangladesh never imagined that the quota reform movement, which began on July 1, would evolve into a massive "July Mass Uprising" led by students and the public.
Initially, students took to the streets to demand a rational reform of the government job quota system. In 2018, following a movement by students and job seekers, the government issued a circular abolishing quotas for first and second-class government jobs. In June 2024, the High Court declared that circular illegal and reinstated the quota system.
The High Court's reinstatement of the 56% quota system once again sparked intense anger among students. They rejected the quota's reinstatement, which they saw as a symbol of injustice against meritorious students, and launched a massive protest.
The government attempted to suppress the movement by deploying law enforcement and Awami League-affiliated cadres, which ultimately turned the protest into a mass uprising.
According to UN estimates, the movement resulted in approximately 1,400 deaths and 20,000 injuries, turning the country into a bloody battlefield.
Media reports state that on the morning of August 5, students and protesters began gathering in Shahbagh for the "March to Dhaka" program. As they tried to enter the capital, defying the curfew and police barricades, law enforcement opened fire indiscriminately. This led to a dramatic increase in casualties.
The coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement had initially announced the "March to Dhaka" program for August 6. However, following attacks by the Awami League's "show of political strength" on August 3 and 4, which killed at least 93 and 66 people respectively, students moved the program forward to August 5.
As the movement turned violent, the coordinators demanded that Sheikh Hasina publicly apologize for the killings across the country, among other things. Instead of complying, the government chose to suppress the movement. They detained six coordinators—Nahid Islam, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Asif Mahmud, Nusrat Tabassum, and Abu Bakar Majumder—at the Detective Branch (DB) office. The coordinators who remained free continued the movement by issuing a nine-point declaration.
After the six coordinators were released, one of the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Nahid Islam, made a one-point demand for Sheikh Hasina's resignation at a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on August 3.
The government's crackdown on protesters intensified after the one-point demand for Sheikh Hasina's resignation was announced. Protesters then called for the "March to Dhaka" on August 5, which they dubbed "36 July." They argued that July would not end until Sheikh Hasina's downfall.
Finally, the historic day of August 5 arrived. From dawn, millions of people from different areas of Dhaka and its suburbs began marching toward Shahbagh. Thousands from outside Dhaka also tried to enter the capital, defying police barriers.
The situation was extremely tense and volatile. Thousands were ready to give their lives to remove Sheikh Hasina from power, and nothing could stop them. They overran all security measures and advanced toward Gonobhaban, Sheikh Hasina's official residence. At that point, Sheikh Hasina realized that this was her last moment on the soil of Bangladesh. She had to go.
Sheikh Hasina then resigned as Prime Minister and fled the country to India on a military helicopter with her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, bringing an end to her long autocratic rule.
