Bangladesh parliament dissolved after prime minister flees country over protests
Bangladesh's president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, clearing the way for new elections to replace the country's former prime minister who resigned and fled to India.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina - who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years - quit her role on Monday, following weeks of anti-government protests which culminated with demonstrators entering her official residence.
An Indian External Affairs minister confirmed to the country's parliament that Ms Hasina had "come for the moment to India".
She is reported to have arrived in New Delhi before being taken to a safe house.
Nearly 300 people are thought to have died since protests began in July as Ms Hasina ordered a fierce crackdown by authorities.
The head of Bangladesh's military has said he will assume temporary control of the country until an interim government is formed.
He has also pledged to investigate every death which has occurred during the protests, vowing to punish those responsible.
Protesters, many of them students, have said they will not accept a military backed government, and have put forward Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as their preferred candidate to lead the country forward.
Mr Yunus described Ms Hasina's resignation as Bangladesh's "second liberation day".
President Mohammed Shahabuddin also ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia - a longtime rival of Ms Hasina - from house arrest on Tuesday.
He had been convicted on corruption charges in 2018.
Elsewhere, the Bangladesh Police Association (BPA) announced it was launching a strike across the country, claiming a lack of security had led to "many" officers being killed during attacks on police stations.
The association also apologised for violent police attacks on protesters, saying officers had been "forced to open fire" and had been cast as the "villain".
Protests started weeks ago across Bangladesh over a quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.
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Despite a ruling from Bangladesh's Supreme Court, since the demonstrations started, that the quota must be cut to 5%, protesters have demanded accountability for violence which has left hundreds dead.
Currently, it remains unclear what Ms Hasina's resignation will mean for the future of Bangladesh - a country whose military wields significant political influence.
Bangladesh's main opposition party has urged people to exercise restraint in what it said was a "transitional moment on our democratic path".
Volker Türk, the United Nation's (UN) human rights chief, also said the transition of power in Bangladesh must be "in line with the country's international obligations" and "inclusive and open to the meaningful participation of all Bangladeshis".
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