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‘Shoot me, bury me here’: What happened the night before Sheikh Hasina's ouster
It was reportedly Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was eventually convinced his mother to give up power as situation in the country became uncontrollable.
The chief prosecutor of Bangladesh's domestic International Crimes Tribunal, Mohammad Tajul Islam, has made several detailed revelations about what went behind former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster. According to him, the Bangladesh military officials asked Hasina to step down from the country's top post last year to prevent more bloodshed. She, however, refused until her son convinced her to.
“You shoot me and bury me here, in Ganabhaban,” she reportedly said when asked to resign. However, she fled Dhaka after her son's intervention.
Islam made the revelation during a hearing, reported Prothom Alo, Bangladesh's local media organisation.
Tajul Islam has officially filed charges in a case involving crimes against humanity in Bangladesh’s Chankharpul area during the mass uprising in July, said the report.
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He also gave a glimpse into what caused Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on August 4 and 5 last year.
The ‘tense and volatile’ meetings and final nail in the coffin
According to Tajul Islam, a highly “tense and volatile” meeting happened at Ganabhaban, the official residence of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, on the night of August 4.
The meeting was attended by several key figures, including ministers, ruling party figures and even top military officials and had several heated discussions.
Between midnight and 12:15 am on August 5, Bangladesh’s then defence adviser, Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, hinted at Sheikh Hasina to resign, which infuriated her, said Tajul Islam.
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Refusing to give up power, Hasina ordered the army chief to confront the protestors, following which, Tarique Ahmed Siddique allegedly suggested firing at the protestors to crush the rebellion and even hinted at shooting at them from choppers. This suggestion reportedly did not sit well with their Air Force chief, who told Hasina, “He (Tarique) has sunk you, and he will sink you again.”
The next morning, in another meeting, IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun told Hasina that the situation had turned worse and the forces did not have enough ammunition to confront the protestors, said Tajul Islam.
It was after this that the top military officers again asked Hasina to resign, but she refused and angrily said, “Then shoot me and bury me here, in Ganabhaban.”
The officers repeated their plea by taking her into another room and telling her that the protestors were marching towards Dhaka and Ganabhaban, from everywhere. This was echoed by Sheikh Hasina’s sister, Sheikh Rehana, as well, who even clung to her sister’s feet, urging her to step down, but to no avail, according to Tajul Islam.
Later, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was contacted, who eventually convinced his mother to give up power.
