Young protesters were spotted taking paintings off the wall and snapping selfies inside Sheikh Hasina's home. This protest arose in reaction to discriminatory hiring policies that reserved most positions for the children of freedom fighters. "I can't express my feelings in words, I'm so happy," Mohammad Bashir, 35, one of the millions of Bangladeshis who flooded the streets after the army chief declared he was forming a caretaker government

Her dramatic departure comes a day after the deadliest day of protests in which at least 94 people were killed countrywide, many in battles with her supporters. In several cases, soldiers and police did not intervene to stem the protests, unlike during the past month of rallies

"Now my only wish is to take care of all the families of the killed people and students, and to deliver justice," said one of the protesters. Messages flooded social media with people greeting each other on Facebook by saying; "Happy Independence Day"

In the corridors of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, an AFP reporter saw bodies lying in pools of blood, among at least 56 people killed Monday in the dramatic culmination of more than a month of deadly protests that have left 356 dead

Crowds took their revenge on the fallen leader. Some smashed statues of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's independence hero after the war that split the South Asian nation from Pakistan in 1971. While some looted home decor items, furniture, rugs and more

Sazid Ahnaf, 21, was among those who joined the mobs on the streets of Dhaka, calling the toppling of Hasina a "proud moment." "I feel so happy that our country has been liberated," he said, comparing the events to the independence war against Pakistan

"We have been freed from a dictatorship. It's a Bengal uprising, what we saw in 1971, and now seeing in 2024." What began as a student movement against civil service job quotes spiralled into mass protests demanding that Hasina quit

A key symbolic target of protesters was the premier's official residence, a sprawling palace in the heart of the capital. Some were shown on broadcasters laughing as they explored Hasina's home -- lying in the beds and carrying off books and televisions. Others raided the kitchen, gleefully devouring food that was left behind