Security Meeting, Phone Call From Son: How The Last 4 Hours Unfolded Before Sheikh Hasina

Accounts of Sheikh Hasina’s last few hours, before she was forced to resign and flee Bangladesh, show that the prime minister was not ready to quit and wanted security forces to intensify the crackdown against protesters. Her family members, however, managed to convince her in the end following which she quickly left the country, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, in a military helicopter.

According to a report by Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, multiple sources gave details about the last four hours before Hasina escaped and hundreds stormed her residence and parliament. Not ready to accept that the situation was out of her control, she first called a meeting of the chief of the three armed forces and the inspector general of police (IGP) around 10.30 am on Monday morning (August 5). Before that, late on August 4, one of her advisers tried to convince her to hand over power to the army but she refused.

The report quoted several highly placed sources saying the Awami League president expressed her anger over why the security forces were unable to handle the situation. She asked them to tighten the curfew but though restrictions were in place from dawn, protesters started breaking them after 9 am and, by 10 am, they took to the streets across Dhaka.

While she appreciated the police action, the IGP told her that they might not be able to maintain strictness for long, the report said. At the same time, officials were also holding talks with her younger sister Rehana to try and convince her sister to step down while a top official reportedly spoke to her son, Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, who was abroad.

Only after Sajeeb spoke to Hasina, did she agree to resign. He also asked her to record a speech to be broadcast to the nation but, by that time, intelligence inputs showed that a large number of agitators were moving towards Ganabhaban.

She was given 45 minutes to make her next move as in that time, the crowds would be able to cover the distance to reach her residence. Hence, she was unable to record the speech and had no choice but to escape to the helipad at the old airport in Tejgaon.

The leader then went to Bangabhaban, the presidential residence, to put in her resignation. After this, she flew to India in a military helicopter with Rehana.

With her passage safely negotiated by India, she reached the Hindon airbase near Delhi and will be in the country for the next few days pending a security review. She is yet to decide on her next move, even as the central government is ensuring she gets time to settle down and recover.

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