NEW DELHI: In a dramatic turn of events, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh resigned and fled the country along with her immediate family members, including her sister Sheikh Rehana Siddiq, also a politician in the Bangladesh Awami League. They departed in a Bangladeshi Air Force plane. The news was publicly confirmed by the country's army chief, Waker uz Zaman, who added that an interim government would take over power.

Several news reports have quoted that the plane carrying Hasina and others landed at Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad in a C-130 transport aircraft late in the afternoon. The aircraft is parked near the Indian Air Force’s C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft hangars. As a protocol, and since Hasina is no longer the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, her aircraft movement was monitored by the Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into Indian airspace to the Hindon Airbase.

While initial reports suggested that Hasina was heading toward the United Kingdom (UK) seeking asylum, significant protests across the UK recently have led to speculations that she might then head towards a friendly country in Europe, possibly France, Germany, or Sweden. However, according to unconfirmed news reports, she has sought asylum from the Indian government, and it will be clear in the next few hours if it is granted or if she is asked to leave the country.

Within hours of Hasina departing the country, huge crowds of protesters roamed the streets of the capital, Dhaka, and stormed into Ganobhaban, the official residence of Bangladesh's Prime Minister. Several television news reports showed the vandalism within the residential complex.

Unlike in the past, this time it was not a coup that dislodged an elected government in a neighbouring country, but demonstrations that began in response to the controversial quota system for government jobs. These quickly evolved into a broader movement against her 15-year rule, which has seen several casualties, forcing her to quit and literally escape to save herself and the lives of her family members.

The 76-year-old daughter of Bangladesh's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been leading the strategically important South Asian country since 2009. In January, she was elected for a historic fourth consecutive term in an election that was boycotted by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and its allies.