When Sheikh Hasina ran, Bangladesh stood tall
From dodging bullets in Jatrabari to shouting victory slogans in Shahbagh, I lived through the day Bangladesh reclaimed its voice—and its freedom
When Sheikh Hasina fled to India, leaving behind a 15-year grip on power, Dhaka was still drenched in chaos. At Jatrabari, police bullets rained from the station rooftop, and the streets were a river of blood. Yet somehow, I—a journalist on the ground—walked away alive.
The morning of 5 August was eerily quiet. An army officer had called me the night before, asking if students would still be in the streets. I said, "They've never left. Why would tomorrow be different?" Only later did I learn he was using me as one of his sources.
By 9am, the internet was dead. No updates, no news. Then came the call from Hassan Al Banna: "We've broken the army barricade! Forty thousand students are marching to Shahbagh!"
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
I bolted upright. The capital had no clue—the blackout had hidden it all. I threw on my bulletproof vest, grabbed fellow journalist Maruf, and headed to Jatrabari. Shops shuttered. Fear thick in the air.
By 1:30 p.m., the scene flipped: protesters shaking hands with soldiers, pleading with them to stop the police firing. But soon, shots cracked from the station roof. Bloodied legs, chaos, bricks flying. The army held the line, but even they weren't spared; stray bullets hit their own men.
Then came the call, "Hasina's gone. We're heading to Ganabhaban!"
Alhamdulillah. I whispered it, eyes closed, before joining the tide of humanity swelling towards Shahbagh. Lakhs filled the streets. At Parliament, some bathed in the lake; at Ganabhaban, others grabbed ducks, sarees—even chairs!
By nightfall, I returned to the newsroom, heart pounding with relief. I finally called my wife and mother. My son's first birthday had passed in bloody July. Now, it would forever be tied to the July Uprising—a gift of freedom wrapped in sacrifice.
