DHAKA – The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Monday after weeks of deadly anti-government demonstrations gripped the South Asian nation.

The announcement from Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, came after protesters stormed the official residence of the prime minister in the capital, Dhaka. In an address to the nation, the army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that an interim government will now run Bangladesh and called for calm.

Images showed flames billowing from vehicles near Hasina’s house, with police unable to contain throngs of people charging towards the neighborhood. Earlier in the day, the military and police had attacked demonstrators rallying in the area, according to a journalist working for CNN in Dhaka.

At least 91 people were killed and hundreds injured last Sunday, in clashes between police and protesters demanding the scrapping of quotas for government jobs and the resignation of the prime minister. Opponents say the civil service job quotas are discriminatory.

The death toll on Sunday, which included 13 police officers, was the highest for a single day from any protests in the country’s recent history. The figure surpassed the 67 deaths reported on July 19, when students took to the streets against the quotas, Reuters reported. At least 32 children were killed during protests last month, UNICEF said.

The widespread unrest prompted the government to impose an indefinite nationwide curfew over the weekend. Meanwhile, human rights groups accused authorities of using excessive force against protesters, a charge the government denies. The military will form an interim government in the wake of Hasina’s resignation, according to the army chief, who called on students “to maintain peace and help us”.

“Whatever demands you have, we will fulfil and bring back peace to the nation, please help us in this, stay away from violence,” Zaman said on Monday. He added that “the military will not fire at anyone, the police will not fire at anyone, I have given orders”.

Police opened fire on protesters in Dhaka earlier in the day, according to a journalist working for CNN, even as security forces have been under scrutiny for unleashing a wave of brutality on demonstrators. At least four people sustained injuries as protesters were gathering at Dhaka Medical College, according to the journalist. One of those people was shot in the head. Protesters there said that the police had attempted to break up the crowd by “brutally beating” them with bamboo sticks and using tear gas. (CNN)

Photo: People celebrate the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. (Reuters)                   …[+]