The student revolution that toppled a government
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 August 2024
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
On Aug. 5, following weeks of student protests and police violence that left hundreds dead, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India. The students have since worked with the country’s military to form an interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus.
Soon after Hasina’s resignation, South Asia correspondent Karishma Mehrotra traveled to the capital city of Dhaka to speak to students, members of the new interim government and others. Martine Powers talks with Karishma about what she learned in Dhaka – and what comes next as this new government tries to make meaningful reforms.
Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan, with help from Emma Talkoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. Thanks to Anant Gupta and Rashad Ahamad.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Over the past few weeks, people in Bangladesh have witnessed a historic rebellion. |
| 0:08.0 | Tonight, celebration on the streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, weeks of deadly |
| 0:15.4 | protests ousting the country's Prime Minister from a decade and a half of rule. |
| 0:19.6 | Prime Minister Sheikassina has taken off in a military helicopter towards India to seek safe shelter. |
| 0:26.4 | We've got multiple local and international media reporting that she has resigned. |
| 0:30.8 | It's unprecedented. |
| 0:32.4 | I mean the whole city is in the street. |
| 0:34.3 | On August 5th, Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned, fled the country after 15 years in power. |
| 0:47.1 | And many people in Dhaka, the capital, celebrated in the streets. And one of the students celebrating was Shema Akter. |
| 0:59.0 | She's 23 and studies music at Dhaka University. |
| 1:02.8 | Shema said that friends of hers were killed by the police |
| 1:05.6 | and clashes that led up to the Prime Minister's resignation. |
| 1:09.0 | Here she is speaking Bengali. |
| 1:10.6 | I'm a mother who is speaking Bengali. I her, she said, I was going to say, |
| 1:14.0 | that she did she. |
| 1:15.0 | In her words, she's saying, quote, it felt like a war had begun. |
| 1:20.0 | We had to hold our ground to save saying, quote, it felt like a war had begun. |
| 1:23.0 | We had to hold our ground to save our brothers. |
| 1:26.0 | Can the age generation to get a |
| 1:28.6 | generation to be here, a generation to be shown |
| 1:30.1 | to be able to get a job. And I see. And I think that. She goes on to say, |
| 1:35.0 | on to say, |
... |
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