Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country after protesters stormed her residence. According to the BBC, the helicopter carrying Hasina took off towards India. Before fleeing, the Prime Minister officially resigned. Hasina has led the country since 2009. Bangladesh's army chief has announced plans to create an interim government to govern the country during the transition period.

Mass unrest has swept the country since the beginning of July. According to media reports, at least 300 people died as a result of the protests. The main reason for the protests was the quota system, which reserves 65% of civil service jobs for relatives of veterans of the 1971 Revolutionary War. Demonstrators say the system is unfair, especially given the high unemployment rate among young people, who make up a fifth of Bangladesh's 170 million people.

In response to the protests, authorities previously cut portions of the quotas reserved for women, minorities and people with disabilities. However, protesters are demanding the elimination of quotas for relatives of veterans, women and residents of certain areas of Bangladesh, while maintaining quotas for people with disabilities and minorities.