Dhaka stocks surged as the key index DSEX hit a nearly four-and-a-half-year high on Tuesday, following the fall of dictator Sheikh Hasina. The trading began on a high note and maintained momentum throughout the day.

On Monday, the DSEX surged over 197 points or 3.77 percent to 5,426—its highest since March 19, 2020.

After several weeks of deadly anti-government protests, Hasina resigned as the prime minister, ending her more than two decades of dictatorial rule. fled the country and landed in India on Monday afternoon.

Jubilant crowds flooded the streets to celebrate the news, with some storming the prime minister’s residence, looting and vandalizing parts of her former home.

Over the past month, unrest had been escalating in Bangladesh, led by a student-driven protest movement demanding the abolition of quotas in government jobs for descendants of 'freedom fighters' who contributed to the nation's creation. However, the scope of the protests soon expanded beyond the issue of job quotas.

During her consecutive 15-year rule, Hasina decimated the dissidents and shut all safety valves, leading to a volcanic eruption of public anger. She indulged in corruption, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.

Over the past several weeks, the law enforcement agencies, along with Awami League’s goons, had killed hundreds of protesters and injured thousands.