Bangladesh’s military announced Sheikh Hasina stepped down after protests against her government left scores of people dead.
The army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, said, “The honorable prime minister has resigned from her post and we will form an interim government for now to run the country.”
Several media reported Hasina boarded a military helicopter headed to India.
Local media say more than 90 people are dead after renewed protests on Sunday. Demonstrators demanded Hasina’s resignation after her government said it planned to reinstate quotas for public-sector jobs.
A high court decision in June ignited a series of protests. The court revived a system that reserved many of those coveted jobs for the families of so-called freedom fighters who fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Students took to the streets last month, calling on the government to abolish the quota. At least 300 people are believed to have died across the country in clashes with police. Authorities have reportedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowds. Demonstrators have fiercely criticized Hasina, saying police have used excessive force.
Hasina’s second term as prime minister began in 2009. Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticized her hard-line politics.