A detail has been revealed about former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's final hours in office. On the morning of August 5, 2024, when army officers asked her to resign during student protests, she said, "Shoot me, bury me here, in Ganabhaban." Later that day, she left for India shortly before protesters entered and damaged her official residence.

This information was shared by chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam during a hearing at the International Crimes Tribunal, according to a report in Prothom Alo. The prosecutor also presented a formal charge about crimes against humanity during the protests in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area.

Tajul Islam described Hasina’s final hours in Bangladesh. He said that on the night of August 4, a serious meeting took place at her residence. Present in the meeting were senior Cabinet members and all heads of security forces.

It was then Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury who first asked Hasina to resign. However, many top leaders of the ruling Awami League strongly disagreed.

During the tense meeting, then-defence adviser Major General (Retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq also suggested resignation. But Hasina rejected it and ordered the army chief to “stand firm and crush the protests”.

The protests had started two months earlier over a controversial quota system in government jobs. By August, the unrest had turned deadly, leaving over 500 people dead.

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