Shoot Me, Bury Me Here’: Dramatic Night Before Sheikh Hasina’s Ouster Revealed

Shoot Me, Bury Me Here’: On the morning of August 5, 2024, as the country faced student-led protests, deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina allegedly "held her ground" in Ganabhaban. When army officers advised her to resign, she said, "Shoot me, bury me here, in Ganabhaban". She fled to India before a mob invaded her residence and destroyed it.

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These details of Hasina's last hours in Dhaka were revealed by chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam at a hearing of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Islam also presented a formal charge regarding the alleged crimes against humanity in Chankharpul in Dhaka related to alleged violence during the unrest, according to the Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo.

Islam reportedly told the tribunal that the first formal request for Hasina's resignation came from then Parliament Speaker shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, but proposed against by many senior Awami League leaders.

What followed was a turbulent meeting late on August 4 at the Prime Minister's residence.

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Islam described the meeting as "tense and volatile" and indicated that all walking Cabinet members and heads of all security forces were present. In this high-stakes meeting, Major General (Retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, who served as defence adviser, urged Hasina to resign. She refused.

Instead, Hasina reportedly advised the army chief to stay strong and "crush the protests", which had already become deadly.

The protests, fueled by dissatisfaction with a disputed quota scheme for government jobs, had been growing for almost two months. By the time Hasina left, over 500 people had reportedly died in the related violence.

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