The quota reform movement led by the anti-discrimination student movement took the form of a round of resignation of the government. When the police failed to handle the situation, the government deployed the army across the country. Even that did not save the end, Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country. However, before Sheikh Hasina escaped on August 5, Army Chief General Walker-uz-Zaman faced a difficult situation on August 2. He faced the anger of young army officers in a meeting that day. News from Indian weekly news magazine The Week.

According to reports, the army chief called the meeting to discuss the ongoing situation in the country with officials. There he presented some arguments to appease the anger of the army officers. Waqar-uz-Zaman tried to convince them that if power was transferred in an undemocratic way, Bangladesh could become like Kenya or other African countries.

At this time, he advised the officials to be restrained and said that after 1970 such mass protests have never happened in our country. This is an exceptional case. We all need to be patient.

However, the officers were not convinced by the army chief’s statement. The meeting ended with the young officials venting their anger. Through this, Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman was forced to accept the demand to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Three days after the meeting, Sheikh Hasina was forced to board a military helicopter on August 5. The helicopter took him across the Indian border to Agartala. A Bangladesh Air Force C130 transport aircraft was waiting there, which took him to Hindon airbase near Delhi.

General Walker-uz-Zaman’s condition was uncomfortable. Because, he was appointed by Sheikh Hasina. Apart from that, he is a relative of Sheikh Hasina by marriage.

The incident probably made General Waqar-uz-Zaman more alert to the volatile situation, the report said. The army chief said that the Bangladesh Army has performed its duty well to justify the deployment of the army to deal with criminal activities and restore normalcy in the midst of chaos. They fired 1,719 rounds, fired 14,000 blank rounds and handled 31 heated situations facing violent mobs in different parts of the country.

The exchange called for an inquiry into the legality of the army chief’s actions. Tarun Major Md. Ali Haider Bhuiyan questioned the legitimacy of the role played by the army during the army deployment. Arguing for his statement, he quoted from the Holy Qur’an, he begged for God’s mercy against oppression and not to join in it. General Waqar-uz-Zaman only said ‘Amen’ to this statement by a junior officer.

Women’s officer Major Hajera Jahan emphasized on the loss of children’s lives and justice in this incident. He expressed concern over the growing public dissatisfaction with the army in the prevailing situation. The army chief agreed with him.

An official of the Bangladesh Military Academy highlighted the ‘unacceptable’ activities of some officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). In response, General Waqar-uz-Zaman said, they will be seen when the situation is right.

Lt. Col. Mahbub, commanding officer of 5 Air Defense Regiment, suggested that the army personnel should be taken back to the barracks citing the declining public support for the army. Another official from Chittagong suggested working to restore the image of the army by helping injured students.

At the end General Waqar-uz-Zaman highlighted the social pressure and harassment he was facing and quoted a song by Ayub Bachchu to express his frustration.