Sheikh Hasina’s final hours as a hated autocrat

When Sheikh Hasina convened crisis security discussions on Sunday to quell growing unrest in Bangladesh, she appeared to be unaware that her tenure as prime minister was coming to an end.
Within hours, she would be carried away by popular support; few could have guessed how quickly she would leave.
Her son told the BBC that it was the counsel of close family members, not senior security officials, that encouraged her to escape.
Ms Hasina made her decision just in time; masses gathered at her home within a few hours of her escape.

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The embattled prime minister, along with the country’s top three military leaders, senior security officials, and police, attended the National Security Committee meeting, which was scheduled late Sunday morning. The mood was somber.
Pressure on the prime minister has been building for weeks as anti-government rallies erupted across the country. Hundreds of people have been slain in the deadliest violence in Bangladesh since the country’s 1971 independence struggle.
On Sunday alone, at least 90 people were killed, the majority of whom were demonstrators shot by security forces, but there was also an increase in the number of police officers killed by crowds.

Officials told BBC Bangla that Sheikh Hasina wanted to leave “two options” open. While there were plans for her to escape the nation, she preferred to remain in power until the very end – by force.
Military leaders didn’t agree. On Sunday, regular citizens and demonstrators interacted with field troops and army officials around the country. After evaluating the situation, top military officers realized it was out of control.
Individually, the military high brass at the meeting advised the prime minister that soldiers could not shoot at people but could offer security backup to police, according to BBC sources. Senior police officials also complained about running short of ammo, it was eventually revealed.

“The police were weary. “We heard that they did not have enough ammunition,” retired Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hussain told the BBC.
Sheikh Hasina, on the other hand, refused to listen, and no one dared to dispute with her in front of her.
Following the meeting, she gave her bold message. She referred to the demonstrators as “terrorists” and asked people to confront what she characterized as “arsonists”.
Security personnel thought they would soon be dealing with a civil war-like situation.

As the casualty toll from Sunday’s violence grew, photos of the incident went viral on social media. Images of young men with gunshot wounds, shot by police and members of the ruling Awami League party’s youth wing, sparked more outrage.
As the intensity of the fighting became obvious, student organizers pushed their plan for a mass march on Dhaka by a day, surprising the authorities.
According to intelligence reports, the students’ demands were gaining support, and hundreds of protesters planned to march on the capital the next day.

If security forces attempted to quell the protests, there would be another carnage.
So Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman decided to talk with the Prime Minister again.
According to reliable sources, the three military chiefs met with her on Sunday evening and respectfully warned that the situation on the ground was becoming increasingly combustible, with hundreds anticipated in Dhaka on Monday morning. They couldn’t ensure the safety of her home.
Sheikh Hasina ignored their advise, but journalists in Dhaka reported that power was already slipping. By Sunday night, police were few in several areas, and numerous security barriers were unmanned.

“She refused to quit and was unwilling to go. “The three chiefs arrived, and they tried to explain to her what was going on on the ground,” Gen Hussain added.
“They said it would be difficult for the army to fire on the crowd. They stated that our troops are also part of the country. They are from communities, and they would not open fire on their own people.”