UPDATE - Bangladesh army chief announces transitional gov't as premier flees country

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Faisal Mahmud, SM Najmus Sakib and Ahmad Adil

DHAKA, Bangladesh / NEW DELHI (AA) - Bangladesh military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman on Monday announced a transitional government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country due to violent nationwide protests.

Hundreds of people were killed and wounded during the protests since July, which first called for the abolition of quotas in government jobs and later the resignation of the Hasina, who had been in power since 2009.

The 76-year-old is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh.

In an address to the nation after meeting political party leaders, Zaman said Hasina had resigned, called for peace and said there would be “no need” of martial law if normalcy returns to the South Asian nation. He pledged to probe deaths of the protesters.

He will later hold talks with leaders of the student protest movement.

Meanwhile, leaders from opposition parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami met President Mohammed Shahabuddin for talks.

Earlier, students had pushed back any possibility of a military takeover. Asif Mahmud, a key coordinator of the ongoing demonstrations, said in a social media post that students "won’t accept military takeover."

- Sheikh Hasina in India

A Bangladesh Air Force aircraft carrying Hasina, the ruling party leader, and her sister is said to have landed at an air force base in Ghaziabad, near the capital New Delhi.

Hasina has yet to issue any statement.

Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval reportedly reached the Hindon Air Base to meet Hasina.

Several Indian airlines also canceled their flights to Dhaka, while train services between the two countries also remain suspended.