In the waning hours of her premiership, Sheikh Hasina stood defiant at her official residence Ganabhaban, refusing to bend to the rising tide. It was the morning of August 5, 2024 - a day that would mark the end of her government, and perhaps the most dramatic chapter in her political life.
“Then shoot me and bury me here, in Ganabhaban,” she reportedly told senior Armed Forces officers who urged her to step down, her voice thick with fury and frustration.
This chilling moment was revealed by chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Mohammad Tajul Islam, during a recent hearing, reported Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo. The testimony painted a gripping portrait of chaos, resistance, and a leader caught in the eye of a political storm.
The final hours of collapse
The night before, on August 4, Ganabhaban had become a pressure point. Ministers, security chiefs, and ruling party veterans convened in what Tajul described as a “tense and volatile” crisis meeting. Protesters were flooding the streets, led by the swelling "Long March to Dhaka" movement. The state was on the brink.
Among the attendees was defence advisor Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, who raised the contentious question of resignation. Hasina, incensed, ordered the military to hold the line. “Crush the protests,” she instructed.
When Siddique allegedly floated the idea of firing on demonstrators from helicopters, it was too much for the air force chief. “He has sunk you, and he will sink you again,” the officer shot back.
According to the chief prosecutor, a tight circle of loyalists, dubbed the "Gang of Four", stood firm behind Hasina. Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan, Anisul Huq, and Salman F Rahman reportedly advised her to hold the line. Don’t flinch, they said. Don’t resign.
Yet, dissent was growing within her ranks. Even Parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury suggested it was time to step aside. Still, Hasina refused.
By dawn on August 5, the pressure was unbearable. Police forces had run out of arms and ammunition. The IGP, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, confessed they could no longer contain the surging crowds.
It was then that the military made one final plea. “The protesters are flooding Dhaka from all sides,” they warned. The writing was on the wall.
Sheikh Rehana, Hasina’s sister, reportedly fell to her knees, clutching Hasina’s feet, begging her to step down for the sake of the nation. But the prime minister stood her ground until her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, was brought into the fold.
It was Joy who finally persuaded her.
The exit and the exile
Sheikh Hasina requested to record a farewell speech for national broadcast. The military declined. There was no time.
She was given 45 minutes to gather her belongings.
By 11 am, the army’s public relations wing informed BTV that the army chief would address the nation at 2 pm. The speech was eventually aired at 4 pm.
By then, Sheikh Hasina was gone across the border into India, as tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the capital.
“Then shoot me and bury me here, in Ganabhaban,” she reportedly told senior Armed Forces officers who urged her to step down, her voice thick with fury and frustration.
This chilling moment was revealed by chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Mohammad Tajul Islam, during a recent hearing, reported Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo. The testimony painted a gripping portrait of chaos, resistance, and a leader caught in the eye of a political storm.
The final hours of collapse
The night before, on August 4, Ganabhaban had become a pressure point. Ministers, security chiefs, and ruling party veterans convened in what Tajul described as a “tense and volatile” crisis meeting. Protesters were flooding the streets, led by the swelling "Long March to Dhaka" movement. The state was on the brink.
Among the attendees was defence advisor Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, who raised the contentious question of resignation. Hasina, incensed, ordered the military to hold the line. “Crush the protests,” she instructed.
When Siddique allegedly floated the idea of firing on demonstrators from helicopters, it was too much for the air force chief. “He has sunk you, and he will sink you again,” the officer shot back.
According to the chief prosecutor, a tight circle of loyalists, dubbed the "Gang of Four", stood firm behind Hasina. Obaidul Quader, Asaduzzaman Khan, Anisul Huq, and Salman F Rahman reportedly advised her to hold the line. Don’t flinch, they said. Don’t resign.
Yet, dissent was growing within her ranks. Even Parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury suggested it was time to step aside. Still, Hasina refused.
By dawn on August 5, the pressure was unbearable. Police forces had run out of arms and ammunition. The IGP, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, confessed they could no longer contain the surging crowds.
It was then that the military made one final plea. “The protesters are flooding Dhaka from all sides,” they warned. The writing was on the wall.
Sheikh Rehana, Hasina’s sister, reportedly fell to her knees, clutching Hasina’s feet, begging her to step down for the sake of the nation. But the prime minister stood her ground until her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, was brought into the fold.
It was Joy who finally persuaded her.
The exit and the exile
Sheikh Hasina requested to record a farewell speech for national broadcast. The military declined. There was no time.
She was given 45 minutes to gather her belongings.
By 11 am, the army’s public relations wing informed BTV that the army chief would address the nation at 2 pm. The speech was eventually aired at 4 pm.
By then, Sheikh Hasina was gone across the border into India, as tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the capital.
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