Bangladesh army refused to suppress protest, sealing Hasina's fate

The night before long-time leader Sheikh Hasina abruptly fled Bangladesh amid deadly protests, her army chief held a meeting with his generals and decided that troops would not open fire on civilians to enforce a curfew, two serving army officers with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman then reached out to Hasina's office, conveying to the prime minister that his soldiers would be unable to implement the lockdown she had called for, according to an Indian official briefed on the matter.

The message was clear, the official said: Hasina no longer had the army's support.

Details of the online meeting between military top brass and the message to Hasina that she had lost their backing have not previously been reported.

They help to explain how Hasina's 15-year rule, during which she brooked little dissent, came to such a chaotic and sudden end on Monday, when she fled from Bangladesh to India.

But back in Bangladesh, resentment still lingered even among retired soldiers that Hasina had been allowed to leave.

"Personally, I feel that she should not have been given a safe passage," said Khan, the veteran. "That was a folly."



Deadly challenge

The nationwide curfew had been imposed after at least 91 people were killed and hundreds injured in nationwide clashes on Sunday, the deadliest day since student-led protests against Hasina began in July.

Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh for 20 of the last 30 years, was elected to a fourth term in January, after arresting thousands of opposition leaders and workers. That election was boycotted by her main rivals.

Her iron-fisted grasp on power has been challenged since summer by protests triggered by a court ruling to reserve government jobs - heavily coveted amid high youth unemployment - for certain segments of the population. The decision was overturned but the demonstrations had quickly morphed into a movement to oust Hasina.

Zaman has not publicly explained his decision to withdraw support from Hasina. But the scale of the protests and a death toll of at least 241 made supporting Hasina at all costs untenable, three former senior Bangladesh army officers told Reuters.

"There was a lot of uneasiness within the troops," said retired Brig. Gen. M. Sakhawat Hossain. "That is what probably (put) pressure on the chief of army staff, because the troops are out and they are seeing what is happening."



'Short notice'

On Monday, the first full day of the indefinite nationwide curfew, Hasina was holed up inside the Ganabhaban, or "People's Palace", a heavily-guarded complex in the capital Dhaka that serves as her official residence.

Outside, on the streets of the sprawling city, crowds gathered. Tens of thousands of people had answered protest leaders' call for a march to oust the leader, streaming into the heart of the city.

With the situation spiralling out of her control, the 76-year-old leader decided to flee the country on Monday morning, according to the Indian official and two Bangladesh nationals familiar with the matter.



Peace

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was named chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government on Tuesday.

Yunus was appointed to the post by Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin after he held meetings with student leaders and chiefs of the three military services, local media reported late on Tuesday, citing a statement and officials from the president's office.

The student leaders had said they wanted Yunus as the chief adviser to the interim government and a spokesperson for Yunus said he agreed.