Bangladesh prime minister flees to India as anti-government protesters storm her residence

The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled to neighboring India on Monday after protesters stormed her official residence after weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations in the South Asian nation.. . Scenes of jubilation erupted on the streets as protesters celebrated the end of her 15 years in power by climbing on tanks and scaling an imposing statue of Hasinas father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, attacking the head with an ax.. ..

Meanwhile, human rights groups accused authorities of using excessive force against protesters, a charge the government denied.. . Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday announced the release of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia a bitter rival to Hasina along with student protesters and those arrested on false cases,accordingto state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).. . Shahabuddin said the current parliament would be dissolved immediately and an interim government should be formed in consultation with all parties and stakeholders to hold elections as soon as possible, according to BSS.. . Nafiz Basher, an organizing member of Students Against Discrimination, which led the protest movement, told CNN that the groups movements representatives would meet the army chief on Tuesday...

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted the national vote in January, as critics warned Hasina and her government were headed toward a one-party system marred by accusations of authoritarianism.. . While Hasinas resignation was celebrated, some Bangladeshis expressed trepidation as to the path ahead as the country attempts to fill a leadership vacuum.. . Hasina may be gone, but there is still a long road ahead for Bangladesh until our religious minorities and ethnic minorities are protected and justice comes to them too, the nation is not free, Khatib Zahin, 28, told CNN.. ..

Police also used tear gas on protesters there, according to a demonstrator.. . 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..

Details and videos were scant due to a communications blackout ordered by the government, which led to 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 had been surrounded by armed forces.. ..

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