After weeks of protests Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on August 5 and fled the country in the wake of scenes of the worse bloodshed the country has seen since it was formed over 50 years ago.

In office for more than 15 years, Hasina has been facing burgeoning anger as a result of her heavy-handed ruling style that has seen the economy flourish on her watch, but her remaining deeply unpopular.

Just a day earlier at least 43 people were killed and hundreds injured as protesters clashed with police. The authorities fired tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators calling for Hasina to resign.

After more than 100 people died during the protests on Sunday August 4, tensions remained extremely high on Monday, August 5. Thousands of protesters defied an official curfew and stormed her official residence in the morning.

The mood on the streets quickly turned to one of celebration after the news of Hasina’s departure spread, according to the local media reports.

Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Shahbag Square – the epicentre of the student protesters – said he has “never witnessed something like this” in the capital.

“Everybody is celebrating, not just students – people from all walks of life. They said this had to happened, there was nothing we could say, democracy was squeezed and now we are free,” Chowdhury said. The message from the protesters is that whoever comes to power next “will now know that they won’t tolerate any kind of dictatorship or mismanagement and that the students will decide,” he said.

The embattled leader resigned her post on the morning of August 5 and was seen boarding a military helicopter with her sister. Shortly afterwards Bangladesh's military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman announced plans to seek the president's guidance on forming an interim government, AP reports.

Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman assured the nation that the military would stand down and launch an investigation into the recent deadly crackdowns that have left hundreds of protestors dead. The violence has fuelled public outrage against the government. The general urged citizens to give the military time to restore peace.

"Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible," he said reports CTV News. "I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing."

“We have invited representatives from all major political parties, and they have accepted our invitation and committed to collaborating with us,” the general added.

He also called for calm amongst the student protesters who had been at the forefront of the demonstrations. "Now, the students' duty is to stay calm and help us," he added.

The protests, which began peacefully in late June, were initially driven by students demanding an end to a “quota system” for government jobs. However, they turned violent following clashes between protesters and police, as well as pro-government activists at Dhaka University. The law was pushed through, but the government backtracked and watered it down after mass demonstrations last week.

The government's attempts to quell the demonstrations with force, curfews, and internet shutdowns backfired, intensifying public outrage. Nearly 300 people were killed in the ensuing violence, leading to growing calls for an end to Hasina's 15-year rule.

The situation escalated further on Sunday, 4 August, with almost 100 people killed in clashes between protesters, security officials, and ruling party activists across the country.