Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina sought to cling to power through the use of excessive force and further bloodshed even in her final hours before fleeing the country, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam has said.
Presenting an investigation report at the tribunal on Sunday, Tajul claimed that Sheikh Rehana, the younger sister of Hasina, had pleaded with her sister at the Ganabhaban on August 5, urging her to resign by holding her feet.
“In the end, she still wanted to maintain power through excessive force and more bloodshed,” the chief prosecutor.
Tajul said: “On August 5, before leaving the country, Sheikh Hasina pressured the top officials of various state forces from 10:30am for nearly an hour. However, she was unwilling to accept that the situation was completely out of control. It was only after family members intervened that she agreed to resign.”
“Sheikh Hasina then resigned swiftly and, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, secretly left the country aboard a military helicopter,” he added. The ICT chief prosecutor further stated that even after widespread clashes and fatalities across the country caused by her armed party activists on August 3, Hasina failed to quell the mass protests led by students and citizens.
"Realising the gravity of the situation, several advisers and party leaders tried to persuade her on the night of August 3, reportedly suggesting a transfer of power to the military. However, she rejected this advice and instead ordered a stricter curfew from August 4.
