Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has claimed that she had no prior intention or knowledge of leaving the country, saying she was effectively sent into “exile” under full state protocol.
In a video message circulating on social media, Hasina described the events of August 5 and the circumstances surrounding her departure from Bangladesh. She said she had planned to return to her residence in Tungipara but was later informed—after crossing the border—that she was being taken elsewhere.
“I never imagined that I would have to leave the country. I didn’t even know about it,” she said in the video. Referring to the siege of Ganabhaban, the Prime Minister’s official residence, Hasina claimed she instructed her security personnel not to open fire in order to avoid casualties.
“My security team removed me from there. I told them I would go to Tungipara. I said I wouldn’t stay—why should I continue after hearing so much criticism?” she said.
Hasina also stated that she had fulfilled her political goal of elevating Bangladesh to the status of a developing nation. “My objective was to raise Bangladesh to the dignity of a developing country, and that has been achieved,” she said.
Describing the moment she realized she was leaving the country, she added, “I believed I was going to Tungipara. Only later, when I was crossing the border, they told me we were heading to another place. I don’t know how the arrangement was made. They sent me into exile with all the protocol of a Prime Minister.”
In the video, Hasina expressed grief over the reported vandalism and arson at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, located at Dhanmondi 32, as well as damage to her ancestral home. She said the destruction of historical memorabilia deeply saddened her.
“I have lost everything—my father, mother,
brothers. Even the house and all the memories, from the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum onward, were looted and burned,” she said.
However, Hasina said she was more distressed by alleged attacks on leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League and families of Liberation War veterans than by her personal losses.
“I have nothing left to lose. So I have no fear or sorrow for myself. But when I think about the countless Awami League leaders and activists, or families connected to the party or the Liberation War, who have been burned and destroyed—that pains me more,”
she said.
On August 5, amid a mass uprising led by students and citizens, Hasina resigned and left the country. She is currently reported to be staying in India. The authenticity, date, and location of the circulated video, however, could not be immediately verified.
