1 month ago
On Monday, the crisis in Bangladesh centred around Dhaka and the situation was rapidly worsening. Lakhs of protestors from the outskirts of the capital city were advancing towards Gonobhobon, the Prime Minister's official residence, united in their single demand: PM Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
With a sea of protestors approaching fast, officials calculated that Hasina just 45 minutes from her residence, the former Bangladesh PM faced a harrowing decision. Should she heed the advice of her inner circle and refrain from exerting force on her people, or should she escape?
Hasina, who had occupied the seat of power in Bangladesh since 2009, ultimately chose to leave. But before that decision, there were hours of convincing, phone calls and meetings.
THE MOUNTING CRISIS FOR SHEIKH HASINA
This is the story of the final hours of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, the dilemma, the circumstances and the ultimate decision that resulted in her 'great-escape' to India.
In an attempt to retain power, using force or otherwise, Sheikh Hasina, even till the end, clung to her position, according to a report in the Dhaka-based newspaper Prothom Alo.
Before fleeing the country, she applied immense pressure on top officials from various law enforcement and defence forces for about an hour, starting at 10:30 am on Monday, according to the report.
However, by that time, the streets of Dhaka leading to the Gonobhobon were flooded with perhaps the largest people ever seen in the country's history.
The student leaders had vowed to storm Gonobhobon a day earlier, following the tragic killings of at least 98 Bangladeshis on Sunday.
SHEIKH HASINA URGED SECURITY FORCES TO USE MORE FORCE
Sheikh Hasina, for the past three weeks, had been unable to quell the student-led protests and the widespread public unrest, despite using heavy-handed armed forces and her party workers.
Citing multiple sources, the Prothom Alo report provided an account of Sheikh Hasina's final four hours before her resignation and the eventual escape to India.
Realising the gravity of the situation, some Awami League leaders, who included one of her top aides, tried to persuade her to transfer power to the military on Sunday night, said the report.
However, at that moment, she was reluctant to accept the advice.
Instead, Hasina ordered a tighter curfew starting Monday, closing down everything in Bangladesh, including a blanket closure of internet services.
This after a day when Bangladesh had descended into anarchy and security personnel weren't acting against protesters.
However, despite the efforts to enforce the curfew at dawn, protesters began defying it at various locations by 9 am.
An hour later, lakhs of people had already descended on the roads and streets of Dhaka.
High-level sources from various agencies revealed to Prothom Alo, that around 10.30 am, the chiefs of the three armed forces, Army, Navy and the Air Force, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) were summoned to the Prime Minister's residence, Ganabhaban.
Sheikh Hasina expressed frustration over the security forces' inability to control the situation, questioning why they weren't stricter with agitators who were climbing onto and painting armoured vehicles of law enforcement and military.
She also mentioned that she had trusted these officials and had appointed them to their top positions.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) then revealed to her that the situation had escalated to a level where it was unsustainable for the police to maintain such a strict stance for an extended period. The top officials tried to explain that the situation could not be controlled by force alone, but Sheikh Hasina was unwilling to accept it, said the report.
SISTER, SON ON PHONE CONVINCES HASINA TO LEAVE BANGLADESH
Seeing that they couldn't make Hasina understand the gravity of the situation, some officials met her younger sister Rehana in a separate room.
They urged her to convey the gravity of the situation to Hasina, after which Rehana spoke with her elder sister.
Sheikh Hasina still remained resolute and unconvinced.
Following this, a senior official even spoke to Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who stays abroad, but was an official adviser to the prime minister of Bangladesh.
Joy, according to the report, then spoke with his mother Hasina, following which she agreed to resign.
NO TIME TO RECORD SPEECH TO NATION, HASINA TOLD
In the meantime, before she could board an aircraft to leave the country, Hasina even expressed the desire to record a farewell speech to be broadcast to the nation. But, that did not happen.
By that time, intelligence reports indicated that numerous students were marching towards Gonobhobon from the locales of Shahbagh and Uttara. It was estimated that the flood of people could reach Gonobhobon within 45 minutes. Given the urgency, there was no time for Sheikh Hasina to record the speech she wanted.
Instead, the army gave her 45 minutes to prepare for the departure.
Sheikh Hasina, along with her younger sister Rehana, arrived at the helipad at the Tejgaon Air Base, adjoining her official residence. Some of her belongings were loaded onboard.
Sheikh Hasina then proceeded to Bangabhaban, the President's house, where she gave in her formal resignation, bringing an end to her 15-year-long rule in Bangladesh.
Reports say that the helicopter from Dhaka, carrying Hasina and her sister, landed at a Border Security Force (BSF) helipad in the northeastern state of Agartala shortly after entering Indian airspace.
Later, Sheikh Hasina arrived at the Indian Air Force's Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, near New Delhi, at 5.36 pm IST. Indian officers, including Security Advisor Ajit Doval, welcomed her, and it is believed she may continue her journey to London from Delhi.
However, Sheikh Hasina's departure, might not just be the end of an era, but the beginning of an uncertain yet hopeful chapter for Bangladesh, as the vacuum has now thrown open a number of possibilities. Sheikh Hasina is the first top leader of Bangladesh to flee and her last hours in Dhaka were as dramatic as her rise to power.
Published By:
Sushim Mukul
Published On:
Aug 6, 2024
