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Jubilant people celebrate PM's resignation on social media

FE REPORT | Tuesday, 6 August 2024



Posts and reels of protesters storming Ganabhaban -- the official residence of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh -- as well as the parliament building and the Prime Minister's Office, flooded social media on Monday.
People shared millions of videos and photos celebrating the exit of Sheikh Hasina, calling it a "second independence" for Bangladesh.
The jubilant celebration followed the country's Army chief announcing that Sheikh Hasina had resigned as prime minister and fled the country with her younger sister amid widespread anti-government protests.
Some social media posts showed protesters entering Ganabhaban, the prime minister's residence in Dhaka, evoking comparisons to similar scenes in Sri Lanka when protesters broke into the president's residence in July 2022.
People took whatever they could find from Ganabhaban.
Istiaque Hossain, a resident of Dhanmondi, posted a photo from Ganabhaban on his Facebook page. "This is our second-time independence; we have achieved it," he said.
Tania Suhasini, a resident of Jatrabari, called it "incredible." "I never thought I would see her fall in my lifetime," she wrote on Facebook.
Abidul Islam, a resident of Mirpur, posted on Instagram, calling it a "historic day" as they reclaimed the place from which "illegal orders" were issued to "harm" them.
He said people had "taken their own palace", referring to 'Ganabhaban', which literally translates to "Building of the People."
Several posts depicted thousands of people flooding the streets of Dhaka following Sheikh Hasina's departure from the country.
Videos emerged online showing protesters inside Dhanmondi 32, the residence of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which has since been turned into a museum.
Later, disturbing images surfaced showing that the residence had been burned down.

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