Amid a mass uprising led by the anti-discrimination student movement, the then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wanted to hand over power to the Speaker of the National Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
According to a report by Indian news outlet The Hindu on Saturday (18 January), Sheikh Hasina had been planning to transfer power to Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury as early as the first week of August. The military was deployed to stabilize the situation and enforce a lockdown to facilitate the power transfer.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, the former Education Minister in Sheikh Hasina's ousted government, revealed, "We were present at Ganabhaban (the Prime Minister's official residence) and working to find a solution to the student protests. However, some of us believed that the sudden resignation of the former Prime Minister would lead to a collapse of law and order, which is why the lockdown was planned."
Nowfel further stated that the situation in Dhaka changed dramatically after Sheikh Hasina visited China in the first week of July 2024. The anti-discrimination student movement escalated into widespread mass protests against her government.
When students demanded Sheikh Hasina's resignation as their sole demand, she reportedly instructed the then-Education Minister Mohibul to engage with student coordinators leading the movement. However, as the protests intensified, the former Education Minister went underground and ultimately remained in hiding.
The former Education Minister also claimed that Bangladesh's future depends on the stance of the United States' newly elected President Donald Trump toward the interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus.
It is worth noting that Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power on August 5 last year amid the mass uprising led by the anti-discrimination student movement. She has since taken refuge in India, where she currently resides. Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal has issued an arrest warrant against the former Prime Minister for alleged genocide committed during the protests in July and August.
Additionally, the passports of 97 individuals, including members of law enforcement allegedly involved in enforced disappearances and the genocide during July-August, have been revoked. Sheikh Hasina's name is also on the list.
