- By Kamal Kumar
- Mon, 05 Aug 2024 05:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Monday fled the civil unrest-ridden country after she was asked by the military to concede the Prime Ministership and given a 45-minute window to take the decision. Shortly after fleeing her official Dhaka residence, an Army chopper with Bangladesh PM and her sister Sheikh Rehana aboard landed in India's northeastern city Agartala, capital of Tripura. Sheikh Hasina is expected to move from India to London, where she will explore her options, reports stated on Monday.
The chaotic turn of events resulted from the month-long protests in Bangladesh, which saw over 150 people losing life, including more than a dozen police officers. The protests erupted in June in response to a high court ruling to bring back the freedom fighters (Mukti Joddhas) quota at 30 per cent of the current pool of reservations.
While the protests initially remained peaceful, they turned violent after opposition parties joined hands and gave a call to root out Sheikh Hasina's rule from the country - further fueling the violent protests.
What transpired on August 5, 2024
While the violence was intensifying for the last few days, Pandora's box opened on August 5 after the country's army jumped in to find a solution to the political instability. In a sudden Television address, Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced that Hasina had resigned and left the country.
While no official confirmation was provided, independent reports suggest that the Army interfered amid increasing civilian unrest and asked the Prime Minister to resign, setting a 45-minute time limit to take the decision.
'History Repeats Itself' For Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina
Monday's ordeal reminded the South Asian country of a watershed moment in its brief history as exactly 49 years ago, Bangladesh witnessed its first coup d'état on August 15, 1975. The coup, launched by the mid-ranking officials of the Bangladesh Army, saw the killing of its founding father, first president and father of Sheikh Hasina - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The entire Sheikh family was assassinated except for two sisters - Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.
Hasina, who was visiting Europe at the unfortunate time along with her sister and husband, refused to at the house of the Bangladesh Ambassador to West Germany at that time. She was later given political asylum in India at the insistence of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The last few surviving members of Hasina's family lived in exile in India for six years. Meanwhile, the Army regime under Ziaur Rahman barred their entry into the country.
Hasina finally returned to Bangladesh on May 17, 1981, after being elected President of the Awami League on February 16, 1981. She was greeted by thousands of enthusiastic Awami League supporters upon her arrival.