Chattogram Circle and Intelligence Reliance: More Stories Behind Sheikh Hasina’s Government Ouster

Northeast News

The collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024 was due to a powerful ‘Chittagong circle’ built around her and her blind reliance on top military-intelligence officials. These officials ‘subtly’ isolated her from political leadership, made her completely dependent on themselves, and at the final moment, removed her from power.

These sensational claims have been made in a report (Part 7) of the ‘Bangladesh Unveiling’ series written by journalist Enayet Kabir in the Indian media outlet ‘Northeast News’.

The report claims that despite the opportunity to confront the quota reform movement politically, Sheikh Hasina relied excessively on the army chief, DGFI and NSI chiefs, on the advice of Sheikh Rehana and Salman F. Rahman.

A powerful ‘Chittagong circle’ had formed around Sheikh Hasina even before the election. The key figures in this circle were:

• Principal Secretary Mohammad Kaikobad (Chittagong)
• NSI Director General Major General Mohammad Hossain Al Morshed (Hathazari, nephew-in-law of BNP leader Morshed Khan)
• DGFI Director General Major General Hamidul Haque (Cox’s Bazar)
• Military Secretary Major General Kabir Ahmed
• Press Secretary Naimul Islam Khan (appointed on the advice of Hamidul Haque)

The report states that Sheikh Hasina’s biggest political mistake was her over-reliance on these officials instead of political leaders. Salman F. Rahman is also shown as close to this circle.

According to the report, from July 16, 2024, DGFI and NSI started working against the government and pushed the movement towards armed conflict. The incident of holding 6 student coordinators in the DB office and forcing them to sign a statement withdrawing the movement was a ‘suicide trap’ for the intelligence services, which intensified the movement and hastened the fall of the government.

The most sensational part is said to be a plot to kill Sheikh Hasina by throwing her into a crowd of fanatical extremists at Ganabhaban on August 5. The aim was to create a ‘war situation’ in the country and legitimize the intervention of UN peacekeepers. However, the plan was foiled by the timely intervention of a top Indian national security official.

On the afternoon of August 5, the curfew barricades in the Uttara area were suddenly lifted on the orders of Brigadier Rafiq of the Artillery Division, paving the way for protesters to enter Dhaka and ensuring the fall of the government.

Sheikh Hasina thought she was being taken to Tungipara for security reasons. But after reaching Bashar’s base in Kurmitola under the guard of the Special Security Force (SSF), she realized that she had been betrayed and power was no longer in her hands.

On the morning of August 5, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman had obtained permission from Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi for military aircraft to enter Indian airspace. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were quickly sent to Delhi.

The report claims that they were safely transferred with the intervention of Indian officials.

The then UN Resident Representative, Gwen Lewis, was in regular contact with those top officials. She made controversial proposals to convert Ramu Cantonment into a permanent UN peacekeeping base and to create a military corridor in the Rakhine region.

The role of the military has also been questioned after the fall. There was discrimination in the ISPR asylum list. Former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun was arrested, but Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader was helped to escape from Jessore Cantonment to India.

It is claimed that former DGFI officer Major General Akbar Hossain assisted in this.

The military focused only on protecting the president rather than protecting the judiciary, which led to anarchy in state control. The political rehabilitation of Jamaat-e-Islami has also been cited as one of the results of this change.

The report describes these events as a ‘regime change conspiracy’ and emphasizes the strategic role of military-intelligence officials. It is presented as an analytical report, organized according to various incident sources.

Enayet Kabir