After assessing the situation, some leaders and an adviser attempted to persuade Sheikh Hasina on Sunday night to transfer power to the army. However, she rejected this proposal and instead requested a tighter curfew starting Monday.
by A Special Correspondent
Sheikh Hasina wanted to retain power through force and bloodshed even at the end. Before leaving the country, she pressured the top officials of various state forces for about an hour from 10:30 a.m. on Monday. However, she did not want to accept that the situation was completely out of control. Later, after persuasion from family members, she agreed to resign. After that, Sheikh Hasina resigned as soon as possible and secretly left the country with her sister Sheikh Rehana in a military helicopter.
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| Sheikh Hasina and Sister Sheikh Rehana |
An account of the last four hours of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation has been received from multiple sources. According to the latest information, she reached Delhi via Agartala in Tripura state of India. She is likely to go to the UK from there.
Sheikh Hasina could not handle the movement of the students and the people even after bringing down the armed party workers and causing widespread conflict and loss of life all over the country on Sunday. However, after realizing the situation, some leaders, including one of her advisers, tried to convince Sheikh Hasina on Sunday night. They are said to have suggested handing over power to the army. But she did not want to accept it; instead, she asked to tighten the curfew from Monday (yesterday). Although initiatives were taken to tighten the curfew from dawn, the agitators started breaking the curfew at various places after 9 a.m. By 10 o’clock, the gathering started to grow in different places of Dhaka.
According to several high-level sources of various forces, the chiefs of the three forces and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) were called to the Prime Minister’s residence, Ganabhaban, around 10:30 a.m. She expressed her anger as to why the security forces were not able to handle the situation. She also expressed her anger as to why they were not being strict with the agitators climbing on the armoured vehicles of the law and order forces and painting them red, even climbing on the military vehicles. Apart from this, she also mentioned that these officials had been appointed to the top positions.
At one stage, Sheikh Hasina pointed to the IGP and said that the police were doing well. Then the IGP said that the situation had reached such a level that it was not possible for the police to maintain such a strict position for a long time.
At that time, the top officials tried to explain that this situation could not be handled by force. But Sheikh Hasina did not want to accept that. Then the officials discussed with Sheikh Rehana in another room. They asked her to explain the situation to Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Rehana then discussed it with her elder sister Sheikh Hasina. But she was determined to hold on to power. At one point, a senior official also contacted Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the Harvard-educated son of Hasina, who was overseas. Then Joy talked to his mother. Then Sheikh Hasina agreed to resign. She then wanted to record a speech to be broadcast to the nation.
Sheikh Hasina left the country in a military helicopter. Younger sister Sheikh Rehana was with her. By then, intelligence was received that a large number of students had left from Shahbagh and Uttara towards Ganabhaban. Considering the distance, it was estimated that the agitators could move from Shahbagh to Ganabhaban within 45 minutes. If the speech was allowed to be recorded, there might not be enough time to leave the residence. In this consideration, Sheikh Hasina was allotted 45 minutes without giving the time to record the speech. She was evidently in a life-and-death situation.
After that, Sheikh Hasina rushed to the helipad at the old airport of Tejgaon with her younger sister Rehana. Some of their luggage was picked up there. Then they went to Bangabhaban. After completing the resignation ceremony there, Sheikh Hasina flew to India in a military helicopter along with her younger sister.
It is reported that the helicopter took off shortly after entering Indian airspace and later landed at a Border Security Forces (BSF) helipad in Agartala. Subsequently, Indian media reported that she had travelled to Delhi.
According to a report in India Today, Sheikh Hasina arrived at the Indian Army’s Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, near New Delhi, at 5:36 local time. An Indian Army officer received her, and it is suggested that she may travel to London from there.
The UK has called for a United Nations-led investigation into the recent crisis in Bangladesh, which has resulted in the resignation and departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasised the necessity of an independent inquiry to address the violence that has plagued the country. He advocated for a peaceful and democratic future for Bangladesh, underscoring the deep connections and shared Commonwealth values between the UK and Bangladesh. Lammy highlighted the severe violence and tragic loss of life witnessed in recent weeks, urging all parties involved to collaborate to end the conflict, restore calm, deescalate the situation, and prevent further casualties. The UK has not yet addressed Sheikh Hasina’s asylum plea. But, as she seeks refuge, she may consider various European locations, with the possibility of finding safety in countries beyond London.
Sheikh Hasina, born on September 28, 1947, in Tungipara, East Bengal (now Bangladesh), is the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Her political career began in the 1980s, following the assassination of her father in 1975, an event that occurred while she was in Germany with her sister.
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina took oath as Prime Minister for the fourth consecutive time on January 11 this year. Before that, she served as the Prime Minister in 1996 through the election of the Seventh National Parliament. When BNP won the election in 2001, Awami League joined the opposition party. Then Sheikh Hasina became the leader of the opposition in the parliament.
After that, Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister after winning the 9th National Parliament election in 2008 under the caretaker government. After five years, in 2014, she won a unilateral election. 153 MPs became unopposed. The opposition parties did not participate in that election (tenth parliament); Sheikh Hasina and her allies formed the government together. In 2018, she became the Prime Minister again through the controversial 11th National Parliament elections. The election came to be known as the ‘night vote’ due to widespread allegations of ballots being sealed the previous night. And the opposition parties did not participate in the 12th National Parliament election in January this year. She became the prime minister again through a ‘dummy’ competition by running independent candidates of her own party leaders. The opposition termed this election a ‘dummy election’. Within seven months of this, Sheikh Hasina resigned in the face of student agitation and public protests and left the country by helicopter.
Meanwhile, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after she arrived in India. Reports suggest that a transport aircraft carrying Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad. While the media indicates that Hasina has not sought political asylum in India, she has requested asylum in the UK and will proceed to London if granted. Until then, India will offer her temporary shelter.
Following Hasina’s arrival, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Bangladesh, including Hasina’s flight from the country, the proposal for an interim government, and the safety of Indian nationals in Bangladesh. Jaishankar is expected to make a statement about the developments in Bangladesh in Parliament tomorrow.
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