It seems that Sheikh Hasina was unaware that her tenure as prime minister was coming to an end when she convened crisis security meetings on Sunday in an attempt to quell the rapidly escalating unrest in Bangladesh.
Few could have imagined how quickly she would leave, as people power would sweep her away in a matter of hours.
Her son told the BBC that in the end, it was the counsel of close relatives rather than senior security personnel that convinced her to leave.
Ms. Hasina made her decision at the last minute because, within a few hours of her escape, large groups surrounded her home.
The besieged prime minister, senior security officials, police, and the nation’s top three military chiefs convened late on Sunday morning to form the National Security Committee. It was a serious atmosphere.
Weeks of nationwide anti-government demonstrations have increased pressure on the prime minister. The greatest violence Bangladesh has seen since its liberation war in 1971 has claimed hundreds of lives.
At least ninety individuals died on Sunday alone, most of them protesters shot by security personnel but also an increasing number of cops murdered by the mob.
Officials told BBC Bangla that Sheikh Hasina wished to maintain “two options” available. Even though plans were in place for her to flee the nation, she desired to hold onto power by force until the very end.
Leaders of the military disagreed. In several regions of the nation on Sunday, common citizens and demonstrators interacted with army leaders and troops on the front lines. Senior military officers felt things were out of control after analysing the situation.
According to sources who spoke to the BBC, the prime minister was individually informed by the military’s senior brass at the meeting that while troops could not fire at civilians, they may support police with security. It was then revealed that senior police officials had also complained about running out of ammo.
But Sheikh Hasina would not have it, and nobody dared to dispute with her in front of her.
Her press secretary conveyed her strong remark after the meeting. Her description of the demonstrators as “terrorists” and her call for people to oppose those she labelled as “arsonists”
Security personnel were concerned that they would soon be dealing with a situation that was close to civil war.
As the death toll from Sunday’s violence continued to rise, images of it were going viral on social media. More resentment was being sparked by pictures of young men who had been shot by police and members of the youth wing of the ruling Awami League party.
Student organisers surprised the authorities by calling for a large march on Dhaka just a day before, when the intensity of the violence became apparent.
Information received indicated that thousands of people intended to converge on the nation’s capital the next day, as the students’ demands appeared to be gaining momentum.
There would be yet another massacre if the security personnel attempted to disperse the demonstrators.
Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army leader, made the decision to talk to the prime minister once more.
According to trustworthy sources, she was contacted by the three service chiefs on Sunday night, when they kindly informed her that thousands of people were anticipated in Dhaka on Monday morning due to the increasingly unstable situation on the ground. They were unable to ensure her home’s security.
Although Sheikh Hasina disregarded their counsel, Dhaka journalists claimed they could already feel the balance of power beginning to change. By Sunday night, many security barricades were unmanned and cops were missing from the scene.
She was adamant that she wouldn’t quit or be willing to go. The BBC was informed by retired Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hussain that the three chiefs attempted to explain to her what was going on on the ground.
“They claimed it would be challenging for the soldiers to open fire on the throng. They said that our soldiers belong in this nation as well. They are from communities, and they wouldn’t shoot members of their own community.
Big groups had begun to arrive in Dhaka on Monday morning. Once more, Gen. Zaman visited Ms. Hasina’s home and conveyed to her the seriousness of the situation. Violence had already broken out and people were disobeying the curfew.
Gen. Zaman informed her that despite their best efforts, the police could not hold back the mob from encroaching on Gono Bhaban, the prime minister’s official home in the capital, for very long. At most, an hour or so.
The military brass made the decision to ask family members to step in at this time.
Chiefs of police and military intelligence subsequently conferred with Rehana Siddiq, Sheikh Hasina’s sister, to see if she could convince her older brother to depart.
“In a separate room, the officials spoke with Sheikh Rehana. They requested that she inform Sheikh Hasina of the circumstances. After then, Sheikh Rehana spoke with her older sister, but Sheikh Hasina was adamant about maintaining her position of authority, according to the Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily.
Then, over the phone, Ms. Hasina’s daughter Saima and son Sajeeb—who both reside overseas—urged her to flee. The army chief, who is connected to Ms. Hasina through marriage, is said to have been there for the entire duration of these familial conversations.
“My mother had no desire to leave the nation at all. We needed to convince her,” Sajeeb Wazed Joy said to the BBC on Tuesday, adding that his mother had started considering quitting on Saturday night.
“This is the mob; they are out for violence and will kill you. We need to get you to safety,” the family pleaded with her. Her only window of time was whatever long it took the mob to arrive. They made no preparations whatsoever before leaving.Yesterday, I called her from Delhi. Despite her disappointment, she is cheerful. She finds Bangladeshi folks to be really depressing.”
Sheikh Hasina, according to sources, contacted Delhi government representatives on Monday morning to solicit refuge. India, a steadfast ally throughout her lengthy career, advised her to depart.
According to reports, Washington had informed Indian foreign ministry representatives that Ms. Hasina’s time was running out the day before. Her alternatives had run out.
Retired General Hussain stated, “She resigned when she realised the army was not supporting her.” “The police were worn out. We’d heard they were short on ammunition. People in Dhaka were preparing to march towards her home in preparation for breaking the curfew.
Even after Sheikh Hasina grudgingly signed the papers resigning from her position, there remained the issue of how to safely exit the nation.
Only the Special Security Force, the Presidential Guard Regiment, and a few senior military officers at army headquarters knew when Sheikh Hasina signed the resignation letter and got into the military helicopter that would take her out of her house, according to a senior military official who spoke to BBC Bangla but did not want to be identified. Everything was done in complete secrecy.
The government blocked the internet at around 10:30 local time (05:00GMT) to prevent Sheikh Hasina’s movements from being discussed on social media.
It wasn’t turned back on until after she’d made her escape.
Senior army sources claim that plans were made to ensure Sheikh Hasina’s safe arrival at the airport. The entire route was cleared, and the departure point protected, in case her convoy was attacked. Ultimately, though, taking her by car was not safe, so a helicopter was dispatched.
According to her son, Sheikh Hasina was hesitant to board the aircraft right up until the last minute.
Her son stated, “She wanted my aunt to leave.” “My mum objected to boarding the helicopter. While on the phone, I convinced my mother and informed my aunt that she had to go.
When they arrived, they were transported from Gono Bhaban to a ready-made C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Bangladeshi Air Force.
According to Sajeeb Wazed Joy, he thinks they travelled to Agartala, the capital of Tripura, in eastern India, and were flown to Delhi from there. Officials stated that India had already been contacted and consented to be transited over this route.
Some reports state that she was flown to Delhi by plane after being transported by helicopter to a Dhaka airport.
Regardless of the path they took, Ms. Hasina, her sister, and senior Awami League MP Salman Fazlur Rahman were moved from the helicopter to the aircraft that transported them to Delhi at around 13:30 local time, according to officials.
Four or five suitcases were seen ready to be loaded on the ground in a social media video. Even when she was still in the air, mobs had invaded her home and were carting off many of the items she had left behind.
After landing in Delhi a few hours later, it was unknown where the passengers were going next.
The internet was back up and running in Dhaka, and celebrations for Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year leadership were erupting throughout Bangladesh.
Under the cover of internet darkness, a woman who was formerly considered a democracy but was later despised by many as a despot, had absconded like a runaway.
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