The night before Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's long-time leader, unexpectedly fled the country amid violent protests, the army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, convened a meeting with his generals. During this meeting, they decided that troops would not fire on civilians to enforce a curfew, according to two army officers familiar with the discussions, as reported by Reuters. General Zaman subsequently communicated to Hasina's office that the military would not be able to enforce the lockdown she had ordered, as reported by an Indian official briefed on the situation. This indicated that Hasina no longer had the military's backing.

These developments, which had not been previously reported, help explain the sudden and chaotic end of Hasina's 15-year rule on Monday, when she fled Bangladesh for India. A nationwide curfew had been imposed after 91 people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes on Sunday, marking the deadliest day since student-led protests against Hasina began in July.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury confirmed the Sunday evening discussions, describing them as a routine meeting to review disturbances but did not provide further details. Attempts to reach Hasina and her son and advisor, Sajeeb Wazed, for comment were unsuccessful.

Reuters interviewed ten individuals familiar with the past week's events, including four serving army officers and two informed sources in Bangladesh, to reconstruct the final 48 hours of Hasina's leadership. Many sources requested anonymity due to the matter's sensitivity. Hasina, who had governed Bangladesh for 20 of the past 30 years, was re-elected to a fourth term in January after arresting thousands of opposition leaders and workers, although the main opposition parties boycotted the election.

Her firm hold on power faced significant challenges from protests that began after a court ruling to reserve government jobs for certain segments of the population, amidst high youth unemployment. Although the decision was later reversed, the protests evolved into a movement demanding Hasina's removal.

General Zaman has not publicly explained his decision to withdraw support from Hasina. However, the scale of the protests and a death toll of at least 241 made unconditional support for Hasina untenable, according to three former senior Bangladesh army officers. Retired Brig. Gen. M. Sakhawat Hossain noted that the uneasiness among the troops, who witnessed the unfolding events, likely pressured the army chief to act.

On Saturday, General Zaman, who is related to Hasina by marriage, showed signs of wavering support for her during a town hall meeting with hundreds of uniformed officers. He emphasized the need to protect lives and urged patience, according to army spokesman Chowdhury, indicating that the military would not forcefully suppress the protests, leaving Hasina vulnerable.

On Monday, the first full day of the indefinite nationwide curfew, Hasina was inside Ganabhaban, her official residence in Dhaka. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside, defying the curfew and demanding her removal. Amid the chaos, the 76-year-old leader decided to flee the country, according to the Indian official and two Bangladeshi nationals.

Hasina and her sister, who was visiting from London, discussed the situation and decided to leave for India around midday. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that New Delhi had encouraged dialogue among various political forces throughout July. Still, as crowds gathered in Dhaka on Monday, Hasina chose to resign after consulting security leaders and requested temporary refuge in India at short notice.

An Indian official explained that it was diplomatically conveyed to Hasina that her stay in India must be temporary to avoid affecting India's relations with Bangladesh's incoming government. India's Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, whom the protestors wanted to lead an interim government following Hasina's ouster, criticized India's foreign policy in an interview with The New Indian Express, calling for a reassessment of its ties with Bangladesh's political leaders.

Late Monday afternoon, a Bangladesh Air Force C130 transport aircraft landed at Hindon air base near Delhi, with Hasina on board, where she was met by Ajit Doval, India's national security advisor.

Hasina's relationship with India dates back to her time in exile there after her father was assassinated in 1975. Returning to Bangladesh, she gained power in 1996 and was seen as more aligned with India's security concerns than her rivals. India also favored her secular stance, which was beneficial for the 13 million Hindus in Bangladesh.

However, in Bangladesh, there was lingering resentment, even among retired soldiers, that Hasina had been allowed to leave safely. Retired Brig. Gen. Mohammad Shahedul Anam Khan expressed regret, stating, "Personally, I feel that she should not have been given a safe passage. That was a folly."