Hello and welcome to News Hour live from the BBC World Service in London I'm

Rebecca Kebbe and our top story today the dramatic events unfolding in Bangladesh. Today the long-serving

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in office since 2009 has resigned and fled the

country via military helicopter it's thought to India.

Tens of thousands of people defied curfew orders early this morning and marched on the capital

Dhaka. As news broke of her resignation, there were celebrations in the streets and

crowds stormed Sheikh has seen as official residents. This group of protesters waved flags

as they danced on top of a military vehicle.

Across the program today we'll discuss the details and what it means for the country.

There have been widespread protests in Bangladesh for weeks beginning in July

with students demonstrating against what they saw as unfair quota systems for sought after government jobs.

In spite of harsh put downs though by the authorities, though protests have continued and they've grown wider than the student movement.

Today the head of the army, General Waka Uzzaman, addressed the nation and

announced that he would be assuming control of the country temporarily he said at what he called a critical time for the country.

The Honourable Prime Minister has resigned. Now we will run our work by forming an interim government.

Have some patience. Give us some time. Working unitedly, we will be able to resolve all problems.

Don't go for conflict anymore and come back to the path of peace.

As head of the army there, General Waco Uzzayman speaking earlier, it's worth mentioning his wife is a relative of

Sheikh Hasina. Well I've been speaking to our correspondent in Dhaka Akbar Hussein

he told me how the day unfolded. It's a very historic day in Bangladesh's politics.

We have never seen such an incident where a sitting Prime Minister, she resigned and fled the

country in the history of Bangladesh in last 54 years.

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