The announcement from Bangladesh’s army chief, Gen.
Waker-uz-Zaman, came after protesters stormed the official residence of the
prime minister in the capital, Dhaka.
Images showed flames billowing from vehicles near Hasina’s
house, with police unable to contain throngs of people charging towards the
neighborhood.
Earlier in the day, the military and police had attacked
demonstrators rallying in the area, according to a journalist working for CNN
in Dhaka.
At least 91 people were killed and hundreds injured on
Sunday in clashes between police and protesters demanding the scrapping of
quotas for government jobs and the resignation of the prime minister. Opponents
say the civil service job quotas are discriminatory.
The death toll on Sunday, which included 13 police officers,
was the highest for a single day from any protests in the country’s recent
history.
The figure surpassed the 67 deaths reported on July 19, when
students took to the streets against the quotas, Reuters reported.
At least 32 children were killed during protests last month,
UNICEF said on Friday.
The widespread unrest prompted the government to impose an
indefinite nationwide curfew over the weekend. Meanwhile, human rights groups
accused authorities of using excessive force against protesters, a charge the
government denies.
The military will form an interim government in the wake of
Hasina’s resignation, according to the army chief, who called on students “to
maintain peace and help us.”
“Whatever demands you have, we will fulfill and bring back
peace to the nation, please help us in this, stay away from violence,” Zaman
said on Monday. He added that “the military will not fire at anyone, the police
will not fire at anyone, I have given orders.”
Police opened fire on protesters in Dhaka earlier in the
day, according to a journalist working for CNN, even as security forces have
been under scrutiny for unleashing a wave of brutality on demonstrators.
At least four people sustained injuries as protesters were
gathering at Dhaka Medical College on Monday, according to the journalist. One
of those people was shot in the head.
Protesters told CNN that the military was blocking Dhaka
Medical College Bakshibazar Gate. Police also used tear gas on protesters
there, according to a demonstrator on the ground.
Students and protesters at Dhaka University Campus and the
Shaheed Minar, a national monument in the capital, were beaten by police as
they assembled at these locations.
Protesters there said that the police had attempted to break
up the crowd by “brutally beating” them with bamboo sticks and using tear gas.
“Direct open firing took place in Shahbag area 15 minutes
ago. We don’t have an estimate of how many were injured. It is still ongoing.
Near Motijhil Shantinagar, tear gas has been fired on common people,” one
demonstrator told CNN.
In other locations across Dhaka, the military has also fired
warning shots in the sky and towards protesters.
Details and videos are scant as Bangladesh is in the midst
of a “near-total national internet shutdown after earlier social media and
mobile cuts” according to data from Netblocks, a global internet monitor.
Video posted on social media and verified by CNN showed
security forces launching live rounds into the air near protesters on the N1
highway in Dhaka.
Protesters in Dhaka told CNN that the university campus was
surrounded by armed forces.
The neighborhoods of Nilkhet, Katabon, and Shahbagh are
currently blocked. The military’s armored personnel carriers have taken positions in front of
the Intercontinental Hotel, and they are only letting doctors in.
Asif Mahmud, one of the key coordinators of the civil
disobedience campaign, called on protesters to gather at 11:00 a.m. local time,
adding that they planned to walk to Shahbagh in what they call the Long March
to Dhaka.
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