Sheikh Hasina Recalls Narrow Escape from Death Before Fleeing to India

Dhaka/New Delhi: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has finally revealed the traumatic moments that led to her escape to India in August 2024. In a heart-wrenching audio message posted on the official Facebook page of her Bangladesh Awami League party, Sheikh Hasina narrated how she had survived assassination attempts, terming it an act of divine intervention.

The 76-year-old leader said she and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, narrowly escaped death by mere minutes during a deadly conspiracy. “Rehana and I survived—just 20-25 minutes apart we escaped death,” she revealed in the Bangla audio, which has since gone viral.

Sheikh Hasina also recalled several attempts on her life during her political career. One assassination attempt came through an infamous grenade attack in August 21, 2004 at a rally against terrorism in Dhaka. The attack targeted her as she was speaking to over 20,000 people from the back of a truck when it killed 24 and injured more than 500 people.Sheikh Hasina herself was injured in this attack.

Another shocking episode was the Kotalipara bomb plot in 2000. Two massive bombs, one weighing 76 kg and the other 40 kg, were found near a venue where Hasina was to address a rally. Their timely recovery saved the nation from a devastating tragedy.

“I just feel that surviving the killings on August 21, or surviving the huge bomb in Kotalipara, or surviving on August 5, 2024, there must be a will of Allah, a hand of Allah,” Hasina said in her message.

In the audio, Hasina becomes tearful while discussing events of August 5, 2024, where she was deposed from power following a student uprising. Weeks of riots and violence that killed more than 600 people forced her exit as PM.

Following her forced retreat to India, a transitional government took office headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. “Though I am suffering, I have no country, no home left. Everything was burned down,” she quivered while saying her piece to journalists at Dhaka.

Expressing her belief in divine intervention, Hasina said, “It seems to be a mercy of Allah that I am still alive because Allah wants me to do something more.” She attributed her survival to a higher power, acknowledging that her life had been filled with challenges and adversity.

While still in exile, Sheikh Hasina’s message was an expression of resilience and a promise to the people of Bangladesh despite the current political turmoil. Her account remains a stark reminder of the price that leaders pay for their service and the fragility of democracy before unrest.

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