Were Protesters Seen In Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s Bed After She Fled? A Fact-Check

During Sri Lanka unrest, protesters were seen sleeping in the former president’s bed.

New Delhi:

Protesters lounging on a bed and clicking selfies were among many visuals, being labelled as from inside the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s official residence, which went viral online after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left her country. However, it turns out the visuals are two years old and show a scene from Sri Lanka President’s palace.

In July 2022, angry protesters took over former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence, a culmination of months of protests over the unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation. Like Ms Hasina, Mr Rajapaksa too fled his country before resigning from the top post.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned today in a dramatic development amid massive protest against her government that claimed more than 100 lives in the last two days.

The announcement of her resignation came soon after hundreds of protesters defied an indefinite military curfew and stormed her official residence – ‘Ganabhaban’ – in the capital Dhaka. She had fled by then.

Several photos and videos on social media showed protesters vandalising and looting the building. Many were seen carrying away televisions, chairs and tables from what was one of the most protected buildings in the country.

The day witnessed chaotic scenes after supporters of the ruling Awami League descended on the streets to subdue the anti-government protests who defied curfew to gather for the “Long March to Dhaka”.

Some protesters also climbed atop a large statue of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ms Hasina’s father, and began chiselling away at the head with an axe, the visuals showed.

At least 300 people were killed in more than a month of protests that ended the 15-year rule of Ms Hasina.

Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said in a broadcast to the nation on state television on Monday Hasina had resigned and the military would form an interim government.

She has landed at the Hindon Air Force base in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. She is expected to leave for London soon.