Sheikh Hasina was a classic autocrat: M Sakhawat Hossain

Sheikh Hasina was a classic autocrat who dismissed the people, and this disdain has led to her current predicament, according to Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, an election analyst and former military officer.

He stated that today’s events were inevitable and were bound to happen. “We have seen similar situations in Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. Popular uprisings are unstoppable. The student quota reform movement could have been resolved easily, but due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stubbornness, so many people lost their lives.”

Hossain criticised the media’s portrayal of the casualties, claiming that the true number is closer to 400, with a significant portion being students and young people. He questioned the whereabouts of the remaining bodies, mass graves, and the extent of innocent lives lost. “She has gone, but who will answer for this?” he asked.

He accused the ruling government of carrying out the “most heinous massacre” and of misleading the public by blaming criminals while those responsible were, in fact, their own countrymen. “Such things should not happen in a free country,” he remarked.

Hossain also noted that for the past 15 years, people have been unable to vote properly, with widespread election fraud. He stated that Sheikh Hasina should have understood her and her party’s unpopularity, and questioned who would be held accountable for the bloodshed. He criticized the severe lack of good governance, which he believes Sheikh Hasina failed to provide.

Furthermore, he alleged that Sheikh Hasina has created criminal gangs within the country and turned the police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) into her personal enforcers.

Reflecting on the plight of the family members of the so-called Father of the Nation, he questioned why they had to face such a tragic fate, attributing it to Hasina’s arrogance and pride. He drew a parallel with the 2009 BDR mutiny, where 57 army officers were killed, and questioned who would answer for that incident as well.

He criticized Sheikh Hasina’s control over TV media and her suppression of free speech, citing it as a reason he avoided talk shows. He claimed he had urged the Prime Minister in various meetings to ensure good governance, but was labeled as an agent of the opposition for his criticisms.

“Today, Sheikh Hasina has fled the country, and now the army has had to take responsibility for the nation’s situation,” he concluded.