Shahjalal International Airport Shuts Operations Amid Intensified Protests in Bangladesh

Amid intensified protests in Bangladesh, operations at Shahjalal International Airport have been suspended for six hours, local media outlet Prothom Alo reported. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced the closure in a circular on Monday.

The protests, primarily led by students, demand an end to the quota system for government jobs and have escalated into a broader uprising against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. At least 95 people, including 14 police officers, died and hundreds were injured in clashes in Dhaka on Sunday, according to Prothom Alo.

Following reports that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister had fled Bangladesh amid the ongoing violence, Indian security agencies began monitoring a C-130 aircraft with the call sign AJAX1431 as it flew near the Indian border.

Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman is set to hold direct talks with student-teacher representatives, as informed by an ISPR circular on Monday evening. The protests have also led to widespread incidents of vandalism in Dhaka.

Visuals from TV, local media, and social media platforms showed people ransacking Sheikh Hasina’s official residence and taking away items. Protesters were also seen storming the parliament building and taking various objects.

After the 76-year-old leader and her sister left the country in a military helicopter, General Waqar-uz-Zaman urged protesters to shun violence and announced that an interim government would be formed soon.

On August 3, organizers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced their single-point demand for the resignation of Hasina and her cabinet members. The announcement followed Hasina’s call for the agitating students to meet her at Gono Bhaban to end the violence related to the quota reform protests.

Today, the residence of the Chief Justice was also vandalized, with several people seen entering the residence at 19 Hair Road by climbing over the wall. Screams and reports of vandalism were heard from inside, Prothom Alo reported.

In a televised address on Monday, General Waqar-uz-Zaman stated that a political transition period is underway and an interim government will be formed. He urged the people to maintain peace and order, saying, “You trust me, let’s work together. Please help, we won’t get anything by fighting. Avoid conflict. We have built a beautiful country together.”