Bangladesh unrest intensifies as protesters demand PM's resignation

Thousands of Bangladeshis gathered in a central Dhaka square for mass protests, demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation from the office.

A key protest leader in the country, Asif Mahmud urged supporters to fight against the injustice. "Prepare bamboo sticks and liberate Bangladesh," he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.

The protests, which sparked days of mayhem last month as the country's masses rallied against civil service job quotas, has witnessed the killing of more than 200 people — cited as one of the worst unrest episodes of Hasina's 15-year tenure, as police impose deadly crackdown on protesters.

As of the recent bout of protests, the army stepped forward to maintain peace and restore order within the country.

Addressing soldiers at the military headquarters in Dhaka a day earlier, army chief Waker-uz-Zaman said: "The Bangladesh Army is the symbol of the trust of the people."

"It always stood by the people and will do so for the sake of people and in any need of the state,” he added, according to a statement.

In this regard, some former military officers have joined the student movement. An ex-army chief, General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, extended support by turning his Facebook profile picture red.

The unrest continued and led to people refusing to pay taxes and utility bills on Sunday, posing pressure on Hasina’s government.

Meanwhile, 76-year-old Hasina has been ruling Bangladesh since 2009. She is accused of misusing state institutions and killing opposition activists just to gain power in the country.