- By Kamal Kumar
- Tue, 06 Aug 2024 05:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sheikh Hasina was not ready to leave Bangladesh and resign as the Prime Minister, even moments before a violent mob stormed the Ganabhaban, Bangladesh PM's official residence, a news report published in Dhaka daily Prothom Alo stated on Tuesday. The report further claimed that Hasina wanted the forces to intensify the crackdown against the unruly mob and violent protestors, however, the chiefs of security forces told her that they would not be able to quell them.
Shortly after, she was persuaded to leave the country by a very close person and while she flew out on a military helicopter to India, an unruly mob launched an unprecedented rampage in her residence. Videos showed protestors carrying furniture, electronic equipment, artefacts and even lingerie.
Bangladesh Protests: What Happened On Last Day Of Hasina's Rule
According to the Prothom Alo report, Hasina called a meeting of chiefs of armed forces and police in the morning at her residence. While she was adamant about strengthening the crackdown on the protestors, some of her advisors were asking her to shift the power to the Army - which the leader kept on denying even till the final hours. The 76-year-old five-times PM was resolute and had asked the army to intensify the curfew.
While all this was happening inside the PM's residence, the situation was changing fast on the streets. Protestors had started gathering at many spots in Dhaka and intelligence inputs were suggestive of some intrusion at the Ganabhabhan.
Questioned Officials, Asked Why They Failed In Controlling Protests
Sheikh Hasina also questioned the army officials and police chiefs why they were not able to quell the protests, to which they expressed the inability to do anything due to a large number of protestors.
The report claimed that at a point during the tough talk, Hasina reminded several officers that they were elevated to these positions because she trusted them.
Son Sajeeb Convinced Her To Resign, Leave The Country
During the day, when Army officials requested her to step down, Hasina did not concede. She was adamant about a severe crackdown, while officers told her that more force was not the solution, the report stated. After a while, the officer asked her sister Rehana to talk to PM Sheikh Hasina and convince her to resign. Even Rehana failed to make her sister move from her position.
In the end, her US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was asked to talk to her mother over the phone and convince her. Only then, Hasina budged. She resigned and left the country, which her father once founded.
"She wanted to stay, she did not want to leave the country at all. But we kept insisting that it wasn't safe for her. We were concerned for her physical safety first; so we persuaded her to leave," Joy had said in an interview with NDTV.