Hasina’s loyalists fled at midnight, now searching for identity in the streets of Kolkata

Kolkata: Fifteen months ago when the atmosphere on the streets of Dhaka suddenly started changing. People came out on the streets against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. There was a lot of violence also. Amidst the violence, Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country and took refuge in India. At this time, many leaders and officials close to Sheikh Hasina government had only one option to run away from their homes overnight. Someone could not pack his belongings, someone could not even explain it to his family properly. Taking only as much as they could, they crossed the border towards India with a broken heart, broken hopes and a shattered identity.

Why did you have to run away? How the rhythm of life broke

The upheaval of July 2024 was called the July Revolution in Bangladesh. This so-called revolution rendered hundreds of leaders, MPs and government officials homeless in a moment. News of lynching, attacks on government offices, and action against Sheikh Hasina supporters. All this made the situation such that running away overnight was the only option left. More than 70 MPs, more than 15 central leaders and hundreds of local workers were forced to take refuge in India. Most of them reached Kolkata because it was closest to home and because their leaders themselves were in India.

How are you adjusting to the new city?

• A former diplomat got his child admitted to a school in South Kolkata.
• Many women are giving emotional support to each other by joining a group named Deshi Bhabhi.
• A minister’s wife says it’s like home, but not home.
• It is taking time for her tongue to eat the sweet Ambal of Bengal, because she is not able to forget its sour taste.
• Many men are keeping themselves busy in their free time by reading books and doing small freelancing.

The biggest concern of these exiled leaders living in Kolkata is not when they will return. (Photo Shutterstock)

It’s not just exile, it’s also an identity crisis

The biggest concern of these exiled leaders living in Kolkata is not when they will return, but whether they will be able to return or not. Many people have created small supports to preserve their memories and relationships. Some have cherished the memories of Bengali films, some have discovered a special restaurant which serves Bangladeshi flavour.

The wife of a minister tells that when her husband’s sister came to visit from Canada and said, “You have come to the country after a long time, there was a strange silence in the room. Then someone softly asked, is this the country? This pain itself tells that exile is not only an experience of change of place, but also of loss of identity.”

What are they doing now?

1. Many leaders are holding daily online meetings with their supporters in Bangladesh.
2. Some people send reports by keeping an eye on the activities of pro-Pakistani violent groups.
3. Many families are fighting to extend the visa.
4. Prominent leaders coordinate “resistance activities” in their respective areas.
5. Some people are also doing new jobs and freelancing in an attempt to settle down in the everyday life of Bengal.

Even small moments of life remind us of our ‘home’.

I remember the food of Bangladesh, its sour taste, festivals, streets of Dhaka, fragrance of rivers. The wife of a minister says, ‘We celebrated Poila Baisakh, but the same question comes in the heart, when will we celebrate Mangal Shobhayatra?’ The pain of exile is clearly visible in these feelings.

Why chose Kolkata?

Life of Sheikh Hasina supporters in Kolkata